The Dark One
by EndlessxDisaster
Summary: Rose Hathaway has a secret that she can never share with the world. A secret that requires her to hunt strigoi and makes her different from any other vampire in existence. She is sent to St. Vladimir's Academy on a mission where she is forced to train with none other than Dimitri Belikov. Will she trust him enough to open up to him about who and what she really is?
1. Mission Complete

**RPOV**

Stakeouts are boring, unless you have donuts. Thankfully I reminded myself to buy a box of them. Strigoi-watching was also boring but since I kill them for a living, it's technically my job to make sure they don't harm anyone. Being The Dark One has it's perks but also its downsides.

I have no idea how the moroi society came up with the name for me but I'm just glad they don't know my real one. Rose Hathaway- immortal strigoi slayer. I could have lived my life as a guardian but I knew that I would be of better use to go out and hunt strigoi instead of sitting around and following a moroi around for the rest of my life. I suppose in some ways I do follow guardian traditions. For one, I do have Zvezda marks, which were tattooed on me by one of my friends-Sydney Sage. Never did I think I would become friends with a human but she's actually pretty cool. How many marks do I have?

They start on my neck and when there was no longer anymore room, the marks are tattooed neatly in a single line down my spine. However, instead of the single **X** mark, she gave me the battle star every month or so to save room on my back. I don't know how many I have but its more than any other guardian has ever received. I did have a problem with being called _The Dark One_ it sounded so dramatic, which is sort of expected since something like me shouldn't even exist. No one knows I'm a seventeen-year old girl but I would've preferred a better name, like _The Huntress_ or something equally badass.

The sound of a car arriving snapped me out of my thoughts. I crouched down to make sure they couldn't see me, not that they would look up. I was on top of a building peering at them and thanks to my heightened eyesight it was easy to see what I was in for. The car came to a stop and two men stepped out-both human. One of them opened the back door and pulled out a young girl with her hands tied behind her and tape over her mouth. Her wild eyes were watery and held fear. I was determined to get her out of there.

She was clearly human and so far didn't seem to have any marks on her, yet. The two men grabbed her and dragged her inside to the old building. It was a strigoi hideout and held about fourteen of them. The sun was almost setting but there was still some light and I knew that they wouldn't risk coming outside. I guess I was going to have to go in. I jumped down and landed quietly onto the ground. I wrapped my hand around the cold silver stake and went around the back of the building looking for a back entrance. I had to move fast before they get a chance to sink their teeth into her. Backdoor-found it. I slowly opened the door just enough for me to slip through. Stupid strigoi, leaving doors unlocked. It was dark and cold; the windows had been completely blacked out. Thank goodness for my good eyesight otherwise I would've been screwed. I could sense two of them down the hall and I crept towards them. Without any warning I leapt out and staked one of them easily. The other one saw me and snarled.

"You," she spat out. She was a young moroi before she was turned and recognition flashed through her eyes.

I smiled coldly. "I'm guessing you've heard of me."

She hissed at me. "I've heard a thing or two."

"Then you must know that only one of us is getting out alive." I stepped closer and lowered my voice. "And it won't be you."

I ran towards her, my stake lined up with her heart and she moved to deflect my blow but she wasn't fast enough. I drove my stake into her and watched as the red glow left her eyes. I pulled my stake out and kept moving, there were still more strigoi here. A bloodcurdling scream made the hair on the back of my neck rise. Shit. I needed to move it if I wanted to get to the girl in time.

Without caring about whether or not I was heard I started running following the scream until three more strigoi stepped into my path, blocking me. Ugh, I was almost there too. I waited for them to attack and it didn't take them long, they were impatient. I managed to stake one of them but the other two were a little older. They were old and a lot stronger but definitely not stronger than me. I was on the defensive side, blocking their hits.

Getting bored I changed it up and backhanded one throwing them against the wall and without missing a beat I staked him. The other one wasted no time and tried to grab me by the neck but I slipped out of his grasp and spun around slamming him into the wall. I pulled the stake out of the strigoi I had just killed and immediately slid it into the third strigoi's chest. They were dead. Five down, nine more to go plus the two humans. I could do this. I slipped through the door and did a quick scan. There were two strigoi, the two humans and the girl upstairs, the remaining seven strigoi were in the room on my level. The girl's screaming distracted them. Good. I grabbed the first strigoi in front of me placing my hand over their mouth and choking them with my other hand. Suffocating a strigoi is not as easy as it seems. Fuck it. With one swift movement of my hand, I broke the strigoi's neck. I wasn't sure if it would kill him but just to make sure I staked him anyway. The sound of bone breaking caught the others' attention. So much for stealth.

They didn't hesitate and neither did I but it wasn't easy. One of them caught me off guard and punched me in the face making me wince. Taking on seven strigoi was more than I could handle but I didn't let that stop me. There was no way I was going to give up. When I was finally down to four, I struggled to not let my knees give way and fall to the ground and I think they knew I was starting to grow weaker.

"Come on Rose, you can do this," I muttered to myself before lashing out at the last few strigoi.

I was out of breath when I killed the last one. Those donuts weren't the best thing to eat before a fight. I climbed the stairs, one step at a time to make sure they couldn't hear me. That flew out the window when one of the humans stepped out in front at the top of the stair well. His lips slowly formed into a creepy smile.

"Well what do we have here? Looks like we have another one."

I straightened up and smirked at him. "You have to catch me first."

Just like I was hoping he would, he attempted to attack me but I grabbed him by the collar and threw him down the stairs. Humans were so easy to fight but I wasn't going to kill him. He wasn't my target, the strigoi were and my priority was to save the girl. Besides I had a rule not to kill humans no matter how stupid and annoying they could be.

I climbed the last few steps and was met with the human and the two strigoi's ready to fight me. I threw a roundhouse kick at the human sending him backwards and fixated my attention onto the two strigoi. One of them snarled and the other shot me an unsettling smirk. The girl behind them was watching us with her wide eyes. _Alright Rose, just two more and it'll be over._ One of them threw a punch at me, which I neatly deflected, but it slowed me down making me unable to block the hit to my ribs. Grunting in pain, I turned my anger onto her and I felt my control waver slightly, something I shouldn't let happen during a fight. Just like before, I was on the defensive side and I hated it. I focused on taking down the female since she was weaker and just as she reached for my neck; I grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back making her cry out. I snapped her neck and she fell down to the ground leaving me with one last strigoi.

He chuckled. "Impressive. I have heard stories about you and it is a great pleasure to meet you Dark One."

"I would say the same but I've met better people," I said as we circled each other.

He ignored my comment. "It would be an even greater pleasure to be the one who kills you."

Now it was my turn to laugh. "I'm immortal, I can't be killed."

It was enough distraction for me to get a good hit on him but he saw me coming and he pushed me backwards into the wall, his arm pressed against my neck. It was hard to breathe and I almost lost grip of my stake. Almost.

"It doesn't matter if you're immortal, there's always a loophole."

I grunted as his arm tightened against my throat. "Too bad you won't be the one to find it." I lifted my leg and kneed him in the stomach making his grip on me loosen and it was all that I needed to get the upper hand on him. I spun us around so his back was against the wall and without hesitating I staked him and swiftly pulled the stake out, letting his body fall. I turned around and looked at the girl cowering in her seat.

"Please don't hurt me," she whimpered.

Poor girl. I placed my stake into my boot and walked over to her, untying the ropes around her wrist. She shot up from the chair looking ready to bolt but I blocked her from the stairs and placed both my hands on either side of her face forcing her to look at me.

"You will not remember anything that happened here. If anyone asks, you didn't see me and you were only here because you wanted to get away from home for a while. Do you understand?"

She nodded. "Yes." It's not like she had a choice. Thank goodness for compulsion or this would have been a pain to fix. I pulled my phone out and dialled a number and waited for the person to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Hey Sydney. I have a mess for you to clean up."

* * *

 **DPOV**

As a guardian, I have a job to protect the moroi from strigoi and any other danger. And just like every other guardian, I have a job to be aware of The Dark One. No one knows who it is nor has anyone ever seen this person before. I don't even know what they are because there is no way for any moroi or even dhamphir to be as strong as they are.

It would be a miracle if we learnt their name, gender or even saw their face to know what they are and their age. So far, they have only been known to kill strigoi so I suppose The Dark One is an ally and not an enemy. One thing I know for sure and that is I will know who The Dark One is before I die. Hopefully. Although being the guardian for the last Dragomir may prevent me from doing so. I would never allow The Dark One anywhere near my future charge-Vasilisa Dragomir. She was definitely different and thankfully wasn't like most Royals consumed with money and gossip.

I lucked out. I was on duty and making my final rounds to ensure there were no strigoi lurking around and that the wards were intact. The sun had set and the start of the moroi day was beginning. My replacement arrived and I headed back towards the Academy. Alberta had called for a meeting this morning for some of the guardians. Most likely some news from the Queen. I reached the room filled with other guardians and greeted some of them as I passed by and went to sit at the table. Alberta walked in a few moments later and the room quieted down getting ready for business. She stood at the head of the table and looked over us.

"I have been informed of the latest news from the Queen about The Dark One and the threats made to our academy."

A few guardians shifted slightly in their seats. Whenever it was brought up it always made people feel uncomfortable, including myself. The Dark One was definitely a taboo.

"A strigoi hideout about an hour away was targeted and the Alchemist found fourteen bodies. Some of them staked and some of them with their necks snapped."

The room filled with whispers. I was stunned. I knew whoever they were was strong but they would have to have some extreme strength if they could snap someone's neck, especially a strigoi's.

Alberta silenced us before continuing. "There was evidence that a hostage was taken and the Alchemist were able to identify who the human was however when she was questioned she didn't seem to remember anything and claimed that she was only there to get away from home."

No. Way.

"The Dark One used compulsion."

The earlier whispers became louder and I leant back into my chair. Stan was the first to speak. "There is no way that a moroi could be strong enough to take down fourteen strigoi by themselves."

"What if they're not a moroi? What if they're a dhamphir?" questioned Yuri.

"A dhamphir that that can use compulsion?" retorted Stan.

"Well if they aren't a dhamphir or a moroi then what are they?" asked another guardian.

"Maybe it's a group of dhamphir's and moroi?" suggested a different guardian.

Alberta raised her hand. "That's enough. There is no use in trying to argue about what kind The Dark One is or if they are an individual or a group. What we do know is that they are strong and powerful. We also know that their intention was to kill strigoi and save the hostage, also they kept the two humans assisting the strigoi alive."

Maybe The Dark One wasn't a cold-blooded killer everyone seems to think they are. Who am I kidding? Just because we've only heard stories of them killing strigoi doesn't mean that they haven't taken innocent lives. They were dangerous, whoever they were.

"We also need to be more aware. The hideout was only an hour away and there may be others even closer. These particular strigoi were planning an attack on us and who knows how many other strigoi have the same plans. It's becoming more and more common for strigoi to form groups and attack. I know it's tough but we need to increase the amount of guardians on patrol during day and night. Now that we know for sure that humans are helping strigoi we have to take extra precautions."

Alberta was right, I didn't even want to think about what might happen if this Academy was ever broken into. She dismissed us and we went off to our duties. I went to Vasilissa's first class to stand guard. I want to know who this person is and what they are. Who is The Dark One?


	2. Queen Tatiana

**AN: Hello Friends! I am so excited that there were people who liked the first chapter, you have no idea how happy I am! This is my first fanfic and I'm new to all of this, so bear with me while I learn everything I need to know. I will reply to your reviews as soon as I figure out how to haha. Here's chapter two. Enjoy!**

 **RPOV**

Getting injured definitely sucks, like a blow to my ribs that left a lot of bruises but thankfully, I heal fast. Very fast. I lifted my shirt and looked at my stomach in the mirror. There was not a single dark spot left, which means I don't have be on bed rest. I hate having to sit in one spot.

I walked into my kitchen and opened my pantry. I wasn't the best cook but I knew how to make pasta. I took the pasta packet and the sauce bottle over to the stove and started cooking.

I heard a knock at my front door and went to go see who the unexpected visitor was. Only two people knew where I lived and who I was. Sydney Sage and Abe Mazur-my father. I opened the door and there he stood with a smug look on his face that always seemed to be permanent. Without a word, he walked past me into my living room.

"Make yourself at home old man," I said as I shut the door.

"Well I did buy you this home." He sniffed the air. "Are you cooking?"

I shrugged and walked back into the kitchen, aware of him trailing behind me. "That's what I do when I'm hungry and I'm sick of eating take-out."

He muttered something about burning the house down and sat down on one of the stools at the counter.

"Do you want some?" I offered.

He lifted one eyebrow and that was all I needed to know that he definitely wasn't going to eat something I was cooking. While the pasta was boiling I was starting on making a salad.

"So what are you doing here?"

"Sydney told me about your success with the strigoi and the human girl. I wanted to congratulate you."

I would never in a million years admit this to him or anyone but I felt warm inside whenever he was proud of me. It made me feel good.

"Thank you, it was easy to handle."

He smirked. "It always is for you." He paused for a moment before he spoke again sounding slightly nervous which was odd for him.

"I actually have a mission for you."

I looked up and gave him an incredulous look. "Oh no, whatever it is I am not doing it."

"Rose-"

"Remember the last time I did a "mission" for you?" I asked making quotation marks in the air. "I broke my leg. _Broke_ it and I almost broke my collarbone too all because some guy was stealing money from you. It was $10, 000 and we both know that's nothing to you."

He shot me a bored look. "You heal fast, it wasn't that big of a deal besides that money was _mine_ therefore it was important to me."

I fought the urge to roll my eyes and went to check on the pasta. "Fine let's hear it, what's this mission of yours."

"Actually that's not for me to say. You need to come with me to Court to meet the Queen."

I spun around. "Tatiana? I don't know what she's like but I've heard all sorts of stories of her being a bitch. I have no interest in this mission of yours."

Abe sighed. "Rosemarie, please. She specifically asked for you."

He only used my full name whenever he was being serious. "What's in it for me?"

"A wonderful experience and a hint of gratitude from the Queen."

"There's nothing else I would rather work for," I replied dryly. "I will hear Tatiana out but I won't make any promises to go through with the mission."

Abe grinned. "Then it's settled. You will come with me to Court tomorrow morning."

"Does she know?" I enquired.

"Know about what?"

I grabbed a bowl from the cabinet. "About being The Dark One and your daughter?"

"No one knows you're the Dark One except for Sydney and Adrian. As for being my daughter, there's nothing wrong with people knowing that. I will introduce you to the Queen as The Dark One but she has given me her word that no one else will know."

"I suppose it helps that I take after mum's name," I whispered.

A pained look crossed Abe's face. "She would've loved it."

"You didn't really come out here to see me did you?" I questioned. "You went to go visit her grave."

His face fell and I suddenly forgot about dinner. I reached out and placed my hand over his trying to comfort him but neither of us were any good at that. We both tended to keep it to ourselves and put on a brave face.

My mother-Janine Hathaway-was killed by strigoi a few months ago and we were still grieving over our loss. I had spent that time trying to figure out which strigoi's were responsible but Abe and I had hit several dead ends. That doesn't mean that we had given up, it just meant that we had to find a different lead hopefully one that would work.

"I miss her," he murmured while squeezing my hand.

"Me too." There was a moment of silence until Abe stood up and straightened his suit.

"I should go. I'll be here tomorrow to pick you up." He reached out and pulled me into a hug, something he didn't do very often but I took comfort in his embrace. I might be eighteen but a girl still needed the comfort of her dad. I walked him out and ate dinner while mindlessly watching whatever was on TV.

I decided to have an early night and changed into a pair of pyjama shorts and a t-shirt. I was definitely not looking forward to whatever this mission Abe had set up for me nor was I happy to meet Tatiana but if I was going to fake politeness I needed my sleep. I crawled into bed and snuggled further into my sheets. There was a possibility that tomorrow would suck.

* * *

I tapped my foot impatiently while staring out my window. Abe was known to be fashionably late and I wished I had slept in another 30 minutes. Finally his car pulled into the drive way and I quickly did a last minute check in the mirror.

I was wearing black jeans, black boots, a tight-fitted top and a leather jacket with my hair up in a bun. I had one type of style and I wasn't going to steer from it just for the Queen. It could be worse. I made my way outside and slid into the backseat of the car next to Abe. He had his guardians drive him around everywhere who only knew me as Abe's daughter.

"Morning Pavel, Abe." Pavel nodded at me and pulled out of the driveway.

"I figured you would be hungry." Abe handed me a bag and a coffee.

I peered into the bag and saw a breakfast sandwich. "Thanks. How long is it going to take to get there?"

"About 45 minutes."

I leant back and ate my food while staring out the window. Despite not wanting to admit it, I was definitely nervous about going to Court since I had never stepped foot in there. Hopefully Tatiana will treat me with some respect even though I was only seventeen and not of any of the three-vampire race.

I am a Draugr. When I was about five, I started showing signs of strength that no child should have at that age, I was able to compel and I healed faster than any creature on this earth.

I also found out that it took a specific way to kill me when I was fifteen and I was staked in the heart with some wood that a strigoi used. Instead, nothing happened. I didn't fall to the ground; I managed to pull it out-painfully-and the wound healed up. Nothing can kill me, stake to the heart, neck snapped or anything that would normally kill anyone.

Once I found out that I was different, I studied up on my own kind and learned so much. The only way for me to die is to be decapitated, have my body burned and dumped into the sea. Of course, no one was strong enough to get anywhere near to ripping my head off.

I was immortal-I think, had the ability to compel, had the strength and speed of 1000 strigoi and had heightened senses. However, I didn't burn in the sun in fact it didn't bother me at all, blood was not a part of my diet and I didn't have any magic.

I looked like a regular dhampir. Abe's a moroi and mum was a dhampir. I should've been a dhampir but Janine came from a long line of Draugr's and only one Draugr could exist in this world. When they died, a new one would be born.

As long as no one finds out how to kill me, I should be fine. No one knows how to kill me, not Abe, Sydney or Adrian. I act as if I don't know and I want to keep it that way. It's not that I don't trust them; it's just that it would be easier for no one to know except for me.

"We're here," announced Abe.

I must've been out of it because time flew by and we were suddenly at the gates of court. The guardians on patrol out front approached our car and Pavel had the window down, allowing the guardian to peer in. I had my sunglasses on and head turned so they couldn't get a close look at me. They let us through and I took a couple of deep breaths.

I was fortunately able to control my breathing and emotions quite well. The car came to a stop and Abe and I stepped out of the car, making our way inside. I took my sunglasses off and looked around in awe. The court was beautiful, obviously it had to be if the Queen was living here and I wished I was here to explore and look around, not have a mission handed to me.

"She's the Queen Rose, I expect you to be polite and show her respect. You are The Dark One here, not Rose Hathaway."

I rolled my eyes. "I only show respect to those who do the same in return."

"Rose," Abe said sternly.

"Relax old man, I'll behave. Now stop worrying, I'm starting to see wrinkles appear."

He scoffed at my comment and we came to a stop at what I believed to be the entrance to Tatiana's office. A moroi woman who I assumed to be her secretary looked up as we approached.

"Abe Mazur, Tatiana is ready to see you."

He thanked her and we walked into her office. She was sitting behind her desk and glanced up at us. Abe bowed gracefully and I mimicked what he did. When I straightened up, she was staring at me.

"You must be Rosemarie."

I was stunned. I didn't think Abe had given her my real name and from the corner of my eye, Abe shot me look saying 'go along with it.' I kept my face blank and my tone polite.

"Yes your majesty it's an honour to meet you. Please call me Rose."

"You're a lot younger than I expected you to be and I believed that with the strength you were rumoured to have may have been because the Dark One was male. I didn't expect a… _girl_."

What. A. Bitch. I clenched my jaw and kept my mouth shut before I said something that would get me thrown out.

"What do you want from me?" I asked bitterly, not even bothering to add on 'your majesty' out of respect.

Her eyes narrowed and mouth twisted slightly. Ha, serves her right. " _You_ will be assigned to St. Vladimir's Academy. Guardian Petrov-the head guardian-and Headmistress Kirova have requested help from court in regards to a threat made upon the academy. As you know we can't have any of that since there are a lot of royal moroi's lives at risk."

I had to hold back on arguing that non-royal moroi and dhampir lives were just as important but once again, I couldn't push it.

"No one knows of these threats except them and the guardians. When you arrive there, Guardian Petrov will help you with whatever you may need."

"I do not want anyone knowing who I am. You may be an exception but I would rather people know me as Rose and not the Dark One," I stated. I have spent all my life trying to keep who I am a secret and there was no way I was going to let that all unravel.

Tatiana nodded. "I wouldn't want word of who you really are coming out either. Ibrahim will accompany you and you will enrol into the academy as Rosemarie Hathaway-a new student. Abe will assist you in this mission and he will inform you on any recent events. You are going undercover. Do not let anyone know who you are."

The mission seemed harmless and the idea of attending an actual school and living a normal teenage life excited me. I was still cautious about what the Queen was up to.

"What if I don't accept this mission?" I challenged. Abe shifted next to me silently telling me to shut up.

Tatiana looked ready to strangle me. "You _will_ take on this mission."

I crossed my arms over my chest and took a step closer, lowering my voice. "I am the Dark One. You might be able to get away with shouting out orders at others but I do not respond to you. Your people would be cleaning up bodies after bodies if it weren't for me."

Abe placed a hand over my shoulder attempting to keep me calm. I uncrossed my arms and stepped back waiting for her to speak. I almost missed the hint of fear in her eyes. Almost.

Abe cleared his throat. "We will be taking on this mission your majesty."

Tatiana rolled her shoulders back. "Good. I expect a weekly report. You may leave."

She didn't have to tell me twice. I spun on my heel and left the room, Abe falling into step with me.

"I ask you to be polite and you go and threaten the Queen," muttered Abe.

I laughed once. "I would hardly call that threatening."

We made our way out of Court and back into the car where Pavel was waiting for us.

"What now?" I asked.

Abe turned to me smirking slightly. "Now we're going to enrol you as a student Miss Hathaway."

 **AN: I love reading reviews so please leave one and let me know if it's any good. I'm not 100% sure where I'm going with this but I'll do my absolute best to upload frequently. Chapter 3 will be up soon :)**


	3. St Vladimir

**AN: Thanks so much for reading I'm glad you're liking the story so far :) Here's chapter three! Enjoy!**

 **RPOV**

St. Vladimir's looked like a prison. Okay maybe not an actual prison but it didn't look welcoming at all. It was definitely a huge campus and I spotted a few guardians standing around the perimeter staring straight ahead. That was the life of a guardian. What a boring job. Pavel pulled up to the front gates and rolled down his window where two guardians stopped us.

"What is your business here?" one asked gruffly.

I looked out the window avoiding their gaze. I didn't like being scrutinized.

"I have Abe Mazur with me," announced Pavel.

The guardian straightened up and signalled his partner to open the gates. Apparently Abe was more well-known than I had expected. It was daytime meaning everyone was asleep also meaning that I was going to have to adjust my sleep schedule. I had been on a human schedule for months now and I have to admit, constantly changing it was a pain. The gates opened and we drove up the road.

The academy did look beautiful in a dark way and was covered by a forest out of the sight of humans for obvious reasons. It was slightly intimidating. I had no idea what I was in for as a student here considering I was not a normal seventeen-year old. My heartbeat started to quicken. Unbelievable. I could take on an army of strigoi without breaking a sweat and yet the idea of attending high school was enough to scare. _You're Rose Hathaway. Suck it up._ I brushed my long hair out of my face and tightened my jacket around me as I stepped out of the car.

"Welcome to your new home Rose," said Abe.

I rolled my eyes. "It's our home now," I muttered.

We had gone back to my house to pack all of my belongings and it was hard to leave my gorgeous home for the academy. At least I'll eventually get back home once this assignment was over. Two guardians walked over to us and escorted us to Headmistress Kirova's office while Pavel stayed behind to take our bags to wherever we were staying. The sun was beginning to set meaning that the moroi day was about to begin soon.

We came to a halt at what I guessed was Kirova's office and one of the guardians opened the door and stepped aside, allowing us to walk inside. Behind the table sat who I assumed to be Kirova and a guardian stood next to her was possibly Guardian Petrov. Abe walked in front of me and shot me a look as if to say ' _behave_.' I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and stood in front of the desk.

"Hello Ellen, it's been a while," said Abe extending his hand to shake hers.

She took his hand. "Yes it has. I'm glad to have you here Mr Mazur."

"Oh, call me Abe," he offered while shooting her a dazzling smile making her slightly blush.

I cleared my throat hoping to distract them from each other. Kirova snapped her attention towards me. Abe might not be the type to go around dating, but that didn't stop him from turning on his charm around women.

"And you must be Rosemarie Hathaway," greeted Kirova. She seemed somewhat nice, a lot better than Tatiana.

"I prefer Rose actually." She didn't say anything and gestured for us to take a seat.

"This is Guardian Petrov our head guardian here at St. Vladimir's. Now Rose, it seems that you don't have a transcript. Were you home-schooled?"

Crap. Abe and I hadn't gone through this. "Uh, yes I was since I was five."

"And what about your combat training?"

Double crap. Abe spoke up before I could muster up a lie. "She was personally trained by my guardians." Yeah that would do.

She didn't seem to question it any further and went on to tell me about combat training for novices and the classes that I would be taking. I wasn't paying too much attention to what she was saying.

I tried to come up with a plan of what I was going to do while I was here. But then I realised that I needed all the details of why I was even needed here in the first place. I sighed internally. I couldn't wait to get out of this office. I tuned back into what Kirova was saying as she finished up telling me about the required classes for novices to take.

"I would also like for you to attend one-on-one training with a guardian just to make sure you are up to the same level as the other novices," she suggested.

I shook my head before she even finished her sentence. "Despite your concerns, I won't be needing any personal training." I could easily take on any guardian here.

"Either way I would still like for you to take these training sessions, just to make sure you're at the required level."

Not wanting to get into an argument I reluctantly agreed and she assigned someone named Guardian Belikov whoever that was. Even I felt sorry for the person who would have to deal with me every day.

"Well Rose that's about it, the guardian outside will escort you to your dorm. Abe would you mind if we have a chat?" asked Kirova.

Abe nodded. "Not at all." He turned to me and smiled and took my hand in his. "I'll drop by your room after I'm done here and help you settle in."

His eyes never left mine as I felt him press a small object into my hand. I didn't react though and smiled in return, thanking Kirova and Alberta before leaving the office.

Once I was outside and following the guardian to my room, I opened my hand and saw an earpiece sitting in the palm of my hand. He wanted me to listen in on what they were talking about. I quickly placed it in my ear, turning it on and covered it with my hair. Thankfully, the guardian didn't try to talk to me making it easier to listen to whatever they were saying.

" _Queen Tatiana informed us that you know The Dark One?"_ It was the first time I had heard Alberta speak.

" _I do but I'm unable to tell you who they are. However, they have agreed to help out. Why don't you fill me in?"_

Kirova took over. _"Last month, three of our students were kidnapped by a group of strigoi while they were on a trip to the mall. They had five guardians with them but there were more strigoi and they couldn't stop three of the students being taken. Two of them were novices-Eddie Castile and Mason Ashford and the other student was Princess Vasilisa Dragomir."_

Now I understood why the Queen would want me here. Vasilssa was the last in her bloodline and had to have meant a lot to Tatiana. I'm sure the strigoi who kidnapped her would've loved to finish off the last of the Dragomir bloodline.

" _Unfortunately, Mason Ashford didn't make it out and he is most likely dead but we did manage to get Eddie and Vasilisa out,"_ explained Alberta.

I could hear slight remorse in her voice when she mentioned Mason.

" _Since then, we've received threats to hand Vasilisa over and multiple students have gone missing-every one of them being dhampir's. We have more guardians on patrol during night and day yet we still haven't managed to figure out how these students have gone missing."_

" _Guardians haven't seen anything?"_ asked Abe.

I was quite confused too. How the hell are students kidnapped within the wards? Even if humans could get through there's no way guardians would not see it.

Kirova sighed _. "We suspect that perhaps someone within the academy is working with the strigoi. We're not sure if this is true but I would advise you and The Dark One to be cautious of everyone. Alberta is keeping an eye out for all guardians who show suspicious behaviour but we do need to be wary of the students and staff as well."_

There was a pause before Abe spoke.

" _I can assure you, The Dark One and I will do whatever we can. Although to do that I need to be informed about everything no matter how small it may seem. We can't help you if we don't know all the details."_

" _Of course,"_ agreed Kirova. _"I trust that you will not tell Rosemarie about this. This stays between the three of us…and of course The Dark One."_

I could hear someone moving around and figured it must be Abe standing and getting ready to leave.

" _You have my word."_

The guardian in front of me stopped in front of a door and I pulled the earpiece out since they were finished with their conversation. I pocketed the earpiece and glanced at the guardian.

"Here's your room and your key," he said monotonously.

I thanked him and unlocked my door noticing the guardian had already walked away when I shut the door behind me. I did a quick sweep around the room and was met with what I expected. It was a small room and because of the lack of female dhampir students, I had it all to myself.

There was a bed, closet, desk, a window and my bags at the foot of the bed where Pavel must've brought was a definite downgrade from my apartment but I suppose it could be worse. It wasn't long when I heard a knock on my door. Before I could reach the door, Abe stepped inside and like me, looked around the room quickly.

"It could've been worse," he stated. "Did you hear everything?"

I nodded and returned to unpacking. "Just about to plan out what we should do."

"Let's hear it."

"It would be best if I could get close to the victims-Eddie and Vasilisa-and find out what they know. It might take some time but it would be helpful if they could tell me where they were taken, what the strigoi looked like and if I'm lucky I might even be able to find out the names of the strigoi."

Abe nodded slowly taking in what I said. "You could get close to the students and find out if they know anything about the disappearances. Especially the students that was close to the ones who are missing."

"Exactly," I said as I started hanging up my clothes in the closet. "And maybe you could find out any information from the moroi staff while Alberta handles the guardians."

He frowned slightly, something he did when he was thinking hard. "You should keep an eye on any of your teachers just in case. It's obvious that someone from the inside is doing all of this."

"I'll keep that in mind." I started shoving my clothes in the drawers. "I just hope this one-on-one training with this Guardian Beli-whatever doesn't get in the way of the mission. It would be easier if I didn't have to deal with that."

Abe smirked. "It could be useful. It's an easy way to build trust, he might even open up about his own theories."

"I guess," I said dismissively. "Where's your room anyway?"

"I'm over in the guest houses," standing up as he spoke. "Definitely better than this room." He muttered that last part not meaning for me to hear it but I did anyway. I threw my pillow at him, which he caught effortlessly.

"Alright old man, time to leave."

Abe chuckled and placed the pillow back onto my bed and headed towards the door.

"We'll talk soon Rose." He left leaving me with nothing else to do since I had already finished packing. Glancing out the window I could see the sun setting and knew that everyone was slowly going to be awake. I decided to take a shower before making an appearance in the cafeteria for breakfast. The shower helped me relax slightly and I felt more at ease. I was an immortal strigoi slaying draugr, I could totally handle high school…hopefully.

I blow dried my hair and pulled on a pair of jeans, knit sweater and wore a pair of boots before heading out the door. I stepped into the cafeteria and I did not go unnoticed. Several people turned to look at me but I focused on getting some food ignoring all the looks and whispers.

I had made sure to leave my hair down so no one would notice the molnija marks. Grabbing a hot chocolate and a muffin, I went and sat down at an empty table. I was about to pull my phone out so I could have something to do but was interrupted by a girl standing at the edge of the table.

"Hi," she said smiling brightly at me.

I cautiously glanced around wondering if someone had sent her over to get a kick out of me but gave her a small smile anyway. "Hey."

"I'm Lissa, you must be Rosemarie."

I sighed. "I prefer Rose actually." I had a feeling I would be saying that a lot.

She slid into the seat in front of me with a tub of yoghurt in her hand. "I know the feeling. My full name is Vasilisa but I prefer being called Lissa."

Recognition kicked in. This was the Lissa that Kirova and Petrov were talking about. She must have seen my reaction when she spoke.

"Please no formalities. I hate it when people call me princess."

My smile widened slightly. "Lissa it is." Becoming her friend was going to be a lot easier than I thought.

"Don't worry about everyone staring, it's not every day that we get a new student, let alone a female dhampir." She suddenly stopped and realised what she said.

"Oh I didn't mean-" she started.

I laughed. "Don't sweat it, it's all good."

She relaxed and smiled widely showing her fangs. "I think you and I are going to get along just fine."

I nodded and took a sip of my coffee. "I think so too."

Just then, two guys walked up to our table. One of them sat down beside Lissa, swiftly kissing her on the cheek and the other one sat down beside me. Before I could ask, Lissa introduced them.

"This is Christian, my boyfriend and Eddie our friend."

Christian nodded at me, studying me and Eddie gave me a warm smile. This was definitely going to be easier than I had thought. Lissa and Eddie were involved in my mission and they had just walked right up to me. _I'll have this figured out and be out of here in no time_ , I thought to myself smugly.

Christian finally spoke. "You're Abe Mazur's daughter." It wasn't a question but rather a statement. Word clearly travels fast.

I was aware of Lissa and Eddie watching me curiously. "Yeah I am."

He smirked. "So basically you're a miniature version of him?"

"No. I'm much worse," winking at him. "Is that why everyone's staring at me?"

"Your dad is well known, mostly for being a mob boss. Everyone's scared of him and wondered what you would be like," explained Eddie.

"Huh."

Lissa spoke up, changing the subject, which I was grateful for. "What do you have first period?"

"Slavic art, I think Guardian Alto is the teacher for the subject."

Christian smirked. "Oh yeah, he's definitely a ball-buster, you'll love him."

"That bad huh?" I asked.

"He's not _that_ bad," defended Lissa. She struck me as the type who believed the best in everyone. "Besides we're both in that class."

I was actually thankful to have someone I knew in one of my classes. Being here was a mission and I wasn't here to make friends and have fun but Lissa was making it hard to not like her.

"Do you guys know someone named Guardian Belikov?" I asked, might as well know what I'm in for.

"Yeah, he's one of the best guardians here? Why?"

I shrugged and took a sip of my hot chocolate before speaking. "Kirova assigned him as my mentor."

Eddie's eyes widened. "You're going to be trained by Guardian Belikov? Wow, you're going to be dead after the first time he's done with you."

I was amused by his reaction, but I could tell that he admired this guardian.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, it's not like I've never had any training before."

"Wait until you see Guardian Belikov, man is practically a god," said Christian, mocking me.

Leaning back in my chair, I finished the last of my hot chocolate wondering if my training with Belikov wasn't just something I could ignore. Suddenly, I had the urge to meet him.

 **AN: Rose and Dimitri will be meeting in the next chapter. I already have it written just need to edit a few things and I'll upload it soon. And please let me know if you liked the chapter!**


	4. Meet Dimirtri

**AN: Hey Everyone! Thank you for all the reviews, favourites and follows! Here's chapter four. Hope you all enjoy :)**

 **RPOV**

I am never one to skip food but this time, I willingly gave up going to lunch to go see who my mentor was. Lissa didn't question my reason of wanting to meet him before we started training and I only had a little while before my next class. I made my way towards the gym, the halls were empty since everyone was at the cafeteria and realised only halfway that he might not even be in the gym. _Way to go Rose._

I continued walking anyway, didn't hurt to check. The gym door was slightly open so I pushed on the door lightly and stepped inside and saw a _very_ tall man practicing his staking skills on a dummy. I decided to study him before letting him know that I was here.

Despite his insane height, it actually suited him since he wasn't lean and lanky like most people were, but he was muscular and well-built. He was wearing all black workout clothes and I almost wished he was shirtless so I could really see his muscles. _Stop it Rose._ I really shouldn't be thinking about him like that.

"Did you just come here to watch me or did you need something?" His voice was laced with a slight Russian accent.

I was surprised that he could sense someone else in the room. Although he would have been a shitty guardian if he didn't know there was someone watching him. He turned around and looked at me and for a moment I forgot how to breathe.

He was drop dead gorgeous. He looked young, maybe in his early twenties and his shoulder-length brown hair was tied at the nape of his neck with a few loose strands framing his face. Never in my life had I ever seen such a gorgeous man before. He really did look like a god. Thankfully, I was able to think all of this within a matter of a few seconds and immediately straightened up, making sure he had no idea that he had an affect on me.

"Are you Guardian Belikov?"

He nodded curtly. "I am and you are?"

"Rose Hathaway, your new student," I said, picking up the courage to walk over to him and came to a standstill a few feet away so I wouldn't have to strain my neck to look up at him.

He looked a little surprise to hear that but it disappeared as he put his stake away.

"How can I help you Rose?"

"I wanted to see who would be mentoring me and where my training would take place," I replied nonchalantly, looking around the gym. "Just so you know, I don't actually need to be mentored."

He lifted one of his eyebrows. "You're a novice, you have a lot to learn before you graduate."

I bit my lip to hide a smirk. If only he knew and if he did, I would be the one teaching him not the other way around. "I'm not like other novices."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "And what makes you so different?"

I gave him my man-eater smile. "I fight dirtier." Ugh, now I'm flirting with him, but I was enjoying this way too much. No reaction from him though.

He walked to the middle of the gym, onto the mats and beckoned me forward.

"Let's see what you've got."

I walked over wondering if I should have even said anything. Being around people who didn't know who I really am was hard. I had to make sure not to move too quickly, do anything that would show my true strength or injure myself where I would immediately heal. I pushed all of my worries to the back of my mind and joined him on the mats.

We both crouched down and circled each other. It was clear he wasn't going to make the first move so I decided to lunge at him which he barely managed to block. I could tell that my sudden attack caught him off guard. He threw a punch at me which I deflected. I had to tone it down or he would be suspicious and despite wanting to show him what I was capable of, I couldn't let him know just how good I was. He was a damn good fighter, definitely better than any guardian that I had ever seen.

We fought for a bit longer until I saw a chance to let him take me down by a move that I knew no novice would be able to deflect. My legs gave out and my back hit the floor with his body pressed against mine.

We were both panting and the lack of distance between us was not helping. His eyes were staring into mine and loose strands of his hair brushed against my cheek. I could feel his breath on my neck and I had the sudden urge to pull him closer to me but as soon as that thought entered my mind, he was gone. I lifted myself onto my elbows with him standing above me with his hand stretched out. I took it and pulled myself up.

"You definitely have more skills than a lot of the novices here, but there is a lot for you to learn."

"Come on Comrade, I was way better than you expected." I didn't know where the nickname came from but it suited him. He didn't seem too impressed by it though.

"You're good, but you could be better," he stated simply.

"Now you're just being stubborn."

He opened his mouth to probably tell me off but my phone buzzed in my pocket. Abe was calling me.

"Abe, what's up?"

" _I need you meet me in my room, I have something that I need to tell you, it's about the mission."_

"I've got class in 10 minutes, can it wait?"

" _Since when did you care about class? Just get over here, I'll have Kirova excuse you."_

I rolled my eyes. "Be there soon."

I hung up and looked up at Belikov staring at me. "You know Abe Mazur?"

"Yeah I know him."

His expression darkened. "You should be careful of him. He's not…a safe person to be around."

 _Ah, so he's heard of my father's reputation._ Smirking, I backed away towards the gym doors. "Easy there Comrade. That's my dad you're talking about." I winked at him before leaving the gym, satisfied with how my first meeting with my attractive mentor went. My training sessions were clearly going to be the highlight of this mission.

* * *

 **DPOV**

When Kirova had informed me that I would be training a new student I did not expect it to be an exotic beauty like Rose who not only knew how to fight well above her level but also happened to be Abe Mazur's daughter. What did I sign up for?

During our spar I could tell she was holding herself back, as if she was too afraid to really show what she was capable of, which didn't make any sense at all. I wasn't sure on what I should focus on first. How her beauty rendered me speechless, how good of a fighter she is or how she was the child of Abe Mazur.

It was way too much for me to take in all at once. I decided to push the thought of how attractive she was to the back of my mind. That was clearly inappropriate and unprofessional. I took a shower at the gym and changed into some clean clothes before leaving where Alberta fell into step with me.

"I'm glad I found you Belikov, Kirova called for another staff meeting."

"What for?" I inquired. We just had one yesterday.

"You'll see." We reached the staff room and I stood at the back watching as Kirova stood at the front waiting for everyone to get settled.

"I know some of you might be wondering why I called for a meeting but Queen Tatiana has taken our situation into her own hands and has provided us with help. As I'm sure you have all heard, Abe Mazur arrived this morning."

Everyone in the room glanced at each other knowing exactly who that man was. He was an odd choice to ask help from. Stan voiced my thoughts.

"Why is he here? Shouldn't we be given more guardians to help with security?"

Alberta took over. "Mr Mazur has connections with the Dark One."

That got a reaction out of everyone, including myself. I knew he was someone who had connections to some people who did nothing good for this world but even I thought the Dark One was out of anyone's league.

"Mr Mazur will inform us of any new leads and we are now under the protection of the Dark One."

A guardian shot up from their seat. "You expect us to trust two people who we hardly know? How are _they_ going to help us? We have students' lives on the line here."

A few guardians nodded in agreement and I had to admit, she had a point. Alberta and Kirova exchanged a look.

"I know it doesn't seem like it would make a difference but Queen Tatiana has given us her word that we will be safe and we should focus on protecting our academy and let the Dark One find who is behind this chaos."

The same guardian opened her mouth to speak but Alberta lifted her hand to cut her off.

"Whatever problems you have, you're going to have to deal with it. Whether you like it or not, this is how we will be handling this problem. Your job is to protect this academy, protect the students and alert us of any suspicious behaviour."

She dismissed us and I made my way to the cafeteria to stand guard. I desperately wanted to know who the Dark One was. I could understand why Queen Tatiana reached out since it involved Vasilisa and the death of her friend. It was why I was assigned to her. Having Abe around was still something I wasn't too impressed by. I entered the cafeteria and immediately noticed that Rose was sitting at a table with Vasilisa, her boyfriend Christian and their friend Eddie. I was glad to see she had fit in.

Suddenly she glanced around the cafeteria and locked eyes with mine. I wanted to look away but there was something about her gaze that pulled me to her. She gave me a small smile that made her eyes shine and then returned to the conservation that her friends were having. I stared hard at the wall, enough to burn a hole through it and realised that the entire time she was looking at me, I was holding my breath.

 **AN: Thanks so much for reading! And please leave a review, I love reading them xo**


	5. Doing It For Eddie

**AN: Hey guys, I realised yesterday that chapter four wasn't as long as the first three chapters, it was about 1000 words less than what I usually write. You may not have even noticed it. I wasn't going to upload this chapter until Monday but I wanted to upload it today for all of you since the last chapter wasn't that long.** **And I finally figured out where I'm going with this story YAY! Anyway, here's chapter five, enjoy!**

 **RPOV**

First day of school-complete. I thought it would be horrible but it turned out to be quite laid-back. A much needed change from my duties as a fighter. I had met with Abe earlier during lunch just before class to talk about the people he suspected. Abe was always thorough with his jobs but his list of suspects didn't mean anything at this stage. It was way too early to know anything for sure. I sat on my bed and opened up my laptop so I could talk to Sydney. I waited for her to accept my Skype call, which didn't take long.

"Hey Sydney, how are you?"

"Good morning to you too Rose," she said while yawning.

I glanced outside my window. "It's the evening."

"I can't keep up with your unholy vampire schedule, how are you settling in?" She still managed to look nice and polished after waking up. I really need to ask her about that sometime.

"It's alright. People here seem nice enough."

Suddenly, Adrian appeared next to Sydney with his trademark smirk. "Hey little dhampir, get laid yet?"

I glared at him. "Please shut him up Sydney."

She hid a smile. "I heard you met the Queen, what was she like?"

"To put it nicely, she seemed like a bitch." Despite knowing Sydney for a while now, she still seemed horrified at my swearing.

"She's really not that bad once you get to know her," said Adrian with a small smile.

"Oh yeah and how would you know?"

"She's my great aunt," he stated.

I swear my mouth hung open. " _What?_ You're related to her?" Adrian Ivashkov. Tatiana Ivashkov. I can't believe I'm only just making the connection. "I have known you for so long, how could I not have known this? Sydney did you know?"

She was amused by my reaction. "Of course I did, I'm his girlfriend."

Adrian's gaze immediately snapped towards Sydney and a sappy look crossed his face. "Unbelievable," I muttered under my breath. "Alright I love you guys but not enough to watch you two make-out." Sydney blushed at my comment, looking embarrassed.

"We'll talk later and let me know if you need anything."

"I will." I was about to end the call when Adrian spoke up.

"And Rose, be careful," he said seriously. Despite his annoying comments we both cared about each other and he had his moments of sincerity. "You cannot die a virgin." And then there were the times when he made stupid comments.

" _Goodbye,_ " I ended the call but not before hearing Adrian chuckling and then being silenced by Sydney as she elbowed him in the ribs.

It was true. I am a virgin. Relationships, hooking up or guys in general was something I have never really experienced. I've seen it in movies and in real life but I have never experienced it. Between killing strigoi's and constantly taking mission after mission, there was no room in my life for a guy.

The only time I have even gotten close to it was if I was required to seduce any men on my missions. It was something I thought about every once in a while and wondered if I would ever be able to experience it. Maybe one day…I hope.

A knock on my door jolted me out of my thoughts and I went to open the door. A guardian handed me a note and left. They never seemed like the talking type. I unfolded the note and read it.

 _Rose, you will begin your training sessions tomorrow. Meet me at the gym at 6 in the morning- Guardian Belikov._

I smiled to myself. Missions meant business but it doesn't hurt to have a little fun while I'm here. Besides, it's not every day I get to spend one-on-one time with a hot guardian.

I'm not really a morning person and I don't understand how Dimitri could possibly want to train at such an ungodly hour. Regardless, I changed into a pair of workout leggings, a tank top and threw on a jacket before heading towards the gym.

I was pulling my hair into a high ponytail when I realised that my tattoos would be showing and opted for a low ponytail instead, tugging the collar of my jacket closer to my neck. As expected, he was already there but I wasn't late, he was just early. He was sitting on the floor cross-legged reading a book that looked like a western novel. Comrade really did suit him as a nickname.

"Morning."

He looked up. "Morning. I want you to run 15 laps outside."

I did not expect to be running laps during these sessions especially since it was cold outside. "Shouldn't we be sparring? Figured you would want me to work on a few moves since you think I have a lot to learn."

"It's important to build up your stamina. You will face encounters where you won't have a weapon on you and the only option left is to run," he explained. Don't I know it.

"Fine, 15 laps it is. Are you going to join me?" He just stared at me. "I'll take that as a no."

I jogged outside onto the field and began my laps. I actually enjoyed running. There was something therapeutic about it, being able to leave all my troubles behind and it made me feel like a regular person instead of what I actually am.

Running was my escape from reality whenever I needed to clear my head. I made sure to run at a reasonable pace so he wouldn't notice my super speed. Fifteen laps was nothing to me and I was nowhere near having trouble breathing.

I completed the laps and jogged my way back inside where Dimitri was waiting on the mats. After years of training I had learnt how to control my breathing and keep a steady heart rate, even when running and fighting. It somehow helped me a little better. I joined Dimitri on the mats.

"So how was I out there?" I asked, while stretching my arms.

He nodded his head in approval. "You did great. You are expected to run laps first thing during our sessions. The amount of laps will increase overtime."

"Do I get to practice with a stake?" I really didn't want to start from basics.

"Soon, today I'm going to teach you how to block the move that you stumbled on yesterday."

We spent the next hour or so going over a few defensive moves and if he didn't look so good while doing them, I would've fallen asleep from boredom. I decided to go along with the lesson for today but I needed him to see that I wasn't like the other novices who were still in training.

I've surpassed that stage years ago when my mother taught me everything when I was younger. She passed away when I was sixteen and by then, I became an amazing fighter just like her.

I couldn't show my full potential to Dimitri but I could still show parts of it. We finished up the lesson and noticed that I had enough time to go back to my room and take a shower before breakfast. I was about to leave but turned around and walked back towards Dimitri as he was gathering his belongings.

"No more basic training."

He looked up at me with surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"I don't want to learn a few basic defensive moves or the theory behind using a stake because I know that's what the next few sessions will be like. I already know all that inside out." I pulled on my hair tie, letting my hair loose.

"You might disagree, but I am capable of more advance training. Teach me something valuable that novices don't learn here at the academy until they're out there in the real world. _Prepare_ me for reality. I'm strong and I can handle anything. I want to really _learn._ "

He stared at me for a moment without saying anything. "Okay."

"Okay?" His response caught me off guard. I was already preparing my next argument.

His lips twitched slightly like he was trying to hide a smile. "Okay, I will teach you something valuable but you have to work hard for it."

"Of course," I said. "Why'd you agree so quickly? Not that I'm complaining."

His face softened. "Because there's a look in your eyes that I don't see often in novices or even many guardians."

"What's that?"

"Passion." His gaze was burning into me, creating heat between us. "I'll see you later Rose," he said quietly, before leaving me in the gym by myself.

It took me a moment to get myself together and head back towards my room. I must've read that situation wrong. What would an accomplished and very sexy guardian want with a teenage girl?

This stupid crush needed to stop. I thought a bit of flirting was harmless but I had to stop myself before I get too attached. It's only been two days and he has this effect on me. I was slightly frustrated with myself and decided that a nice long shower should help. It helped me relax and forget about Dimitri-for now. I made my way towards the cafeteria and ate breakfast with Lissa, Christian and Eddie. After, I had guardian training with Eddie and he walked with me to class.

"How's your training with Belikov going?" he asked. So much for not thinking about him.

I shrugged. "Not bad actually, he seems pretty cool."

"I'm surprised you survived the first training session with him."

I smirked and nudged him with my elbow. "Are you questioning my amazing combat skills?"

He smiled a little. "As the daughter of a badass mob boss, of course not."

"Huh, for a second there, I thought you were."

Over the past two days, I realised that it was rare to see Eddie smile or even show a hint of an emotion. The first time we met, he smiled at me but usually he had a very solemn look on his face, like the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

I figured it must have something to do with being kidnapped and having one of his friends gone, but it seems as if he was more affected by Mason's death than Lissa and Christian were. I would have to suss that out of Lissa when I get the chance. Guardian training wasn't anything special.

I was mostly trying to make a mental list of everything I had to do throughout class, my first priority being checking in on Abe. He must have been thinking the same thing when I felt my phone buzz. I pulled it out and read a text from Abe.

 _My room. Now._

How vague. Although those few words did seem serious, I told Eddie I would meet up with him later, leaving him confused as to why I was in such a hurry and made my way towards guest housing.

Thankfully, there weren't many guardians around, however, that made me question whether it was actually a good thing. I knocked on Abe's door once before the door flew open and ushered me in. He closed the door behind him and walked past me into the living room area. If he didn't seem so urgent, I would've be in awe of how much nicer this place looked compared to my bare walled, standard room.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"A student went missing last night. A dhampir, just like the others."

I hated bad news. "It was daytime for humans, meaning there was no way a strigoi could've been anywhere near the academy."

"Exactly. It had to have been the person or people who are working from the inside."

"What did Alberta say? Who was it?"

"Someone named Carter Andrews. Alberta said she'll be notifying the guardians and looking into how he was kidnapped. I went over to see the kid's room and there was no sign of a struggle, nothing to suggest that he was even kidnapped."

"Unless he went willingly, he could have been threatened or maybe he was knocked out. Did anyone see anything?"

He shook his head and poured himself a glass of scotch. He was about to offer me one, realised what he was doing and immediately shoved the bottle back into the cabinet. I wasn't much of a drinker anyway.

"No, you know how easy it can be for teenagers to sneak out if they really want to. But why would he sneak out is what I'm wondering? Unless he was threatened or knocked out, like you mentioned."

I flopped onto the couch and leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. "Just about any novice here will attempt to put up a fight if they were threatened or someone they didn't know came into their room. Maybe he knew who the person was, like a guardian and he thought he could trust this person."

Abe nodded his head slowly. "Possibly. What if it was compulsion?"

"Sure, it could work but moroi here don't use it often and I highly doubt they're good enough to carry it out while escaping. That would take a lot out of a moroi. Besides, no moroi is strong enough to put up a fight with a novice and what happens to the person being taken? Is someone waiting at the borders? A guardian or human? And why dhampir's? Strigoi are always more interested in moroi, plus they would be easier to subdue."

I held my head in my hands. "There are too many questions."

Suddenly an idea came to me and I shot up from my seat. "Does Alberta know where Eddie and Lissa were held when they were kidnapped?"

"Yeah, it wasn't too far from here actually, why?" Abe seemed cautious.

"I need to go see it," I stated simply.

"No."

"Abe-"

"Rose, the strigoi that were responsible for the kidnapping may be dead but how do you know there aren't anymore that are using that place?"

"I don't. If I see any I'll kill them."

He sighed heavily and downed his scotch. "Fine, I'll find the details of the location and you can scout the place tonight. I would feel better if you go while the sun is out."

I stood up and walked past him, patting his shoulder. "Always worrying about me."

"Someone has to," he replied, giving me a smile. "I don't want you being next."

I scoffed at his comment but was touched knowing he worried about me. "Please, no one could ever kidnap me. I'll always put up a fight."

I waved goodbye and went to the class that I was already late for and quietly slipped into the seat next to Eddie without the teacher knowing. The students weren't even paying attention to the lesson and were whispering amongst each other.

"What's everyone whispering about?" I asked Eddie.

"A student went missing last night."

Wow, word really does travel fast in high school. "Oh, that's horrible."

I turned to look at Eddie and behind the hard exterior I recognised something in his eyes. An emotion I was very familiar with. Grief. It was then that I decided that I was going to let go of my strong grip on the belief that I shouldn't get too attached to this mission. I'm going to solve this for Eddie so he could get some form of closure from the loss of his friend. He needs it.

 **AN: I know Adrian and Sydney weren't in the chapter as much, but they will be throughout the story. There will probably be more Adrian than Sydney scenes but let me know if you would like to see more of them. And if you want to know what Rose's tattoos look like, you can look at the cover photo for this story. I'm working on Chapter Six now and that will definitely be up sometime this week. Thank you for reading and please review xoxo**


	6. Mason-Dead, Alive or Both

**AN: I don't think I've written a chapter so quickly in one go! I made this one a little bit longer than usual because I had a lot to write about and didn't want to split it into two chapters. Anyway here's chapter six and you will get to find out more about Lissa and Eddie's kidnapping and what happened to Mason. Enjoy**

 **RPOV**

When a student goes missing, some are saddened by the news and others treat it as a new gossip story and mock the situation because it was a dhampir that was taken and not a precious moroi. It was hard keeping my mouth shut during class as I overheard a few moroi laughing to themselves about how low-grade dhampir's deserved to be taken.

They weren't even trying to be subtle. Underneath my desk, my fists were clenched and judging by the look on Christian and Lissa, they were with me on how disgusting it was that people were making fun of this. The teacher said something about splitting into groups but I was hardly paying attention.

Turning to Lissa I said, "Is there a reason, why they're fucking stupid enough to think the kidnappings are funny?"

Lissa looked saddened by what she was hearing. "They're the typical stuck up royals."

"Those two guys right there," Christian said pointing to two moroi who were joking around with their friends. "That's Jesse-the blonde and Ralf-his side bitch, biggest idiots you'll ever meet."

"Oh really?" I stood up from my seat. "I'm going to go say hi."

"Um, Rose maybe you shouldn't," Lissa warned timidly. "If you mess with them, they'll make it hell for you."

"Someone has to put them in their place Lissa." I walked towards the small crowd; quickly glancing at the teacher to make sure he was occupied so he wouldn't notice anything.

"Hi." The small crowd all turned to look at me. I noticed one of the girls named Camille, she seemed like the stuck-up type.

"Well hello beautiful." Jesse straightened up and gave me a once over, spending a little too much type on certain parts of my body. "You're Rose Hathaway aren't you? It's nice to see a girl as sexy as you around here. And just in time, I was starting to get bored with the other girls."

Camille shot him a glare at that comment but he didn't notice since he still hadn't taken his eyes off me. I noticed his friend Ralf and the other moroi guys checking me out too. Might as well have some fun. I smiled sweetly at Jesse and his smile widened, thinking that his so-called charm had worked on me.

"I overheard the conversation you were having about the kidnappings. You really think the dhampir's deserved to taken?"

I still had the smile plastered on my face but I'm sure there was anger in my eyes.

"Better them than us. Don't worry though, _you_ don't deserve it though," he said, winking at me. "I'm sure you'll be safe as long as you're with me."

Ugh. I can't believe girls actually fall for this. I leaned in closer and placed my hand on his arm making him think that I really did believe his words.

I stared straight into his eyes and dropped the fake smile, only to glare at him.

"If I ever hear you say something like that again," I started, keeping my voice low and dangerous, infusing the tiniest bit of compulsion. "I will send you straight to hell."

My grip on his arm tightened but not enough to break anything. It would leave a nasty bruise though and he squirmed slightly.

"If it weren't for dhampir's, your sorry ass wouldn't last a day out there against strigoi's. Show some god damn respect." I squeezed his arm even tighter and then let go. His eyes were wide with fear and his friends shifted uncomfortably.

"Is there a problem here?" I glanced up to see the teacher had approached us and looked suspicious about what was going on.

I straightened up and smiled at him "Not at all, just having a group discussion," I replied, compelling him. He returned the smile and moved on to a another group.

I turned back to Jesse and gave him a threatening smirk. "Don't forget what I said Jesse."

Lissa and Christian watched me as I sat back down in my seat, well aware of Ralf muttering ' _bitch_ ' under his breath but I waved it off. I had made my point.

Christian laughed softly to himself. "I don't know whether to like you Rose or be freaked out. You're fucking crazy."

I grinned at him. "Thanks, that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me." I laughed with him and even Lissa's face broke out into a smile.

For the rest of the class, we did our work and I was listening out for the royals saying anything they shouldn't. It seemed like my threat had scared them enough to keep their mouth shut. I was glad the classes had ended and Lissa invited me to go to the library with her while Christian went to the feeders.

It was the perfect time to ask her about Mason's death since I didn't know when I would get her to myself again. She was browsing through the books and I figured I might as well ask her now before Christian came back.

"Hey Lissa, can I ask you something a little personal?"

"Sure," she said absentmindedly, still looking at the books.

"It's about what happened during your shopping trip and Mason."

She lowered her gaze and forgot about the books to face towards me. "You heard about that huh?" Her voice soft when she spoke.

I leaned against the bookshelf. "Yeah, word travels fast around here. We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." I was really hoping she would want to talk.

"I don't mind talking to you. It's just sometimes I blame myself for what happened. We went on that shopping trip because of me. Mason and Eddie were allowed to practice what it would be like to be real guardians and the three of us ended up being taken. Only Christian was safe because the guardians were able to get to him on time."

Lissa still hadn't looked up at me, instead looking at her hands and playing with the sleeves of her top.

"We should have gone during human day time but I was insistent on going as soon as we could. It was in the afternoon and the sun was only just setting. Maybe if I hadn't have been so stubborn, Mason would still be alive."

I placed my hand on her arm, trying to comfort her. "You couldn't have known that would happen. You thought you were safe with the guardians."

She nodded but I knew she didn't believe my words. "Mason and Eddie were like brothers. When Mason died, Eddie took it the hardest, especially because the strigoi drank from him making him weak. He blames himself for not being able to fight. Mason found a way out of the handcuffs and tried to fight the strigoi while I did what I could to help Eddie and I get out. When we escaped we ran into the guardians outside who were looking for us and went back to find Mason."

A sob built up in her chest and her voice broke as she spoke.

"But they couldn't find him. The place was empty and the strigoi must have taken him with them. The kidnappings were so weird though."

"How so?"

"It was as if Mason and Eddie were the ones they were targeting and I was only kidnapped because I was just in the way. I think they only wanted Mason and Eddie."

I thought about it. Strigoi generally target moroi because they prefer moroi blood and want royals specifically because that would mean the royal bloodlines die down. The only reason strigoi attack dhampir's is because in order to get to the moroi, they have to eliminate the strongest-meaning the dhampir's who know how to fight. It didn't make sense that they weren't more interested in Christian and Lissa with them being royal, especially Lissa as the last Dragomir.

Lissa was taking deep breaths trying to calm herself down and I pulled her into a hug. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that. It must have been horrible. You can talk to me whenever you want."

I felt her nod against my shoulder. "Thank you Rose. It's nice to have a girl to talk to. I love Christian but sometimes you just need a friend."

I pulled back and gave her a warm smile. "Of course, I'm glad I met you Lissa."

She beamed. "Likewise."

Christian entered the library and I excused myself telling them that I needed to speak with Abe and went to his room. Before I could knock, the door opened.

"Oh Rose, you're here. I was just on my way to see you." He stepped aside, letting me in.

"What's up?"

He handed me a piece of paper with an address on it. "This is the place where Vasilisa and Eddie were held. It's a run down building and they were held in the basement."

He was right. It wasn't too far from here. "Thanks, I think I might wait until after curfew when the sun's out, just to give you peace of mind old man."

Abe shot me a blank look. "Nice to have you doing things so I don't start greying too early."

"Happy to help. Any new updates?"

"No nothing yet, they're looking through security camera's and interviewing guardians and staff, especially the ones that were on duty. I'll let you know if anything happens and please take your phone with you tonight."

I left his room and counted down the hours until I could leave. The rest of the afternoon dragged on, dinner went too slowly-although since it involved food I couldn't complain.

When it was close to curfew I changed into an all black outfit and then realised that it was light outside and it was completely useless. Too late now. I wore my hair down and took my stake and gun with me. There were more guardians on patrol tonight but with my super speed, I breezed right past them without them even knowing. I came to stop when I was far enough into the woods and looked at the address again. I really wish I could have hotwired a car or something. I miss driving.

I kept running until I finally reached the old warehouse building. It wasn't as run-down as I thought it would be yet it wasn't the nicest building. The windows were blocked out by the curtains and knew it had to be so the strigoi wouldn't burn from the sun. It was the perfect place for strigoi to hold their hostages. The building was isolated from any civilization and no one would think to go in here. The door was slightly ajar so I pushed it open all the way, letting streaks of light in and walked inside cautiously.

The last time guardians were in here, there hadn't been any strigoi but I had to be careful just in case. There wasn't much here except for old couches, weird paintings on the wall and a few scattered chairs. There was a door on the right and I opened it to find a staircase that lead to a basement. Unfortunately there wasn't a light switch not that it was too dark so I had to rely on my eyesight to find my way around. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, there were three chairs in the middle of the room facing the wall and handcuffs on the floor. This was the place that Lissa was talking about.

However, that wasn't what I noticed first, it was the smell of blood. I spun around looking for where it was coming from and saw a jacket lying in the corner. Picking it up, I examined the jacket and could smell and see the bloodstains. It smelt fresh, very fresh. This blood couldn't have been from a month ago when the kidnapping first started. It had to have been within the past few days.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I didn't have to check to know that it was Abe calling.

"Rose, is everything okay? Did you find anything?"

I slung the jacket over my free arm. "Yeah I found a jacket with fresh blood on it in the basement. Someone has been here recently."

"Is it moroi or dhampir blood?"

I sniffed the jacket. "Human."

"Human? Are you sure?" he asked sounding surprised.

"Positive. Maybe it belonged to a strigoi and they got bloodstains from feeding off a human," I suggested.

"Hmm maybe." He didn't sound too sure. "Bring it back with you so we can send it to Sydney and have her check for any DNA. Anything else?"

I did a quick sweep of the room. "Nothing, just a few chairs and handcuffs. And I don't sense anyone here. I need to talk to Lissa again and find out what the strigoi looked like."

"I have the files here with me. Eddie and Lissa were interviewed by the guardians when they were brought back."

"Now you tell me," I muttered. "Alright, is there anything else I should look for?"

"I don't think so, you should come back now. I think the guardians might have already searched Carter's room."

"Okay," I agreed, walking back upstairs and shutting the door behind me. "I'm leaving, be there in about ten minutes."

I left the building and ran back to the academy. Thanks to my speed, it didn't take that long. I started walking at a normal pace when I was inside but then I sensed someone down the hallway behind me. A quick glance over my shoulder let me know that it was Dimitri and I immediately started running and I was gone in a flash as I turned around the corner until I reached Abe's room. Phew, that was close.

* * *

 **DPOV**

I sat on the edge of Carter's bed and tried to picture what might have happened in here. It was a shame that dhampir students were going missing and there was nothing I could have done about it. It was frustrating to see these teenagers taken and most likely dead. Why this was happening was the million-dollar question. Alberta was standing in the doorway, a frown on her face as she stared at the floor deep in thought.

"Have the others found anything from the security footage?" I asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

She looked tired, like she hadn't slept in days. "No nothing, the hallways were empty and Kirova interviewed everyone. No one saw anything. I don't even get how this is possible. This is the seventh student taken and I don't understand how they were taken without anyone noticing."

Her thoughts reflect mine. I had gone through all the theories but there were still holes in them. Nothing connected and maybe if the rooms of the students who were kidnapped showed signs of a struggle then we would know what we're dealing with. Instead their rooms were fine. Fine meaning that nothing seemed out of place or out of the ordinary. They had to have been lured out of their rooms.

"Has Abe found anything?" I was hesitant to ask, wondering if she would even tell me.

"Nothing yet but The Dark One was interested in scoping out the place where Eddie, Mason and the Princess were taken. Hopefully they find something although I highly doubt it."

The thought of The Dark One being in such close proximity to the academy struck something inside me. I didn't know how to explain it but it wasn't a bad feeling, I was just curious about this being.

"Hopefully," I murmured. "Maybe we should call it a night Alberta, it's been a long day."

She agreed and we both left the room. "How's training with Rose going?"

 _Rose._ She was hard to not think about. "She's doing great. More than great, her skills are advanced for a novice. She's passionate and that makes her a good fighter."

"It'll make her a great guardian," Alberta added. "Although what else do you expect from someone who is the child of Janine Hathaway and Abe Mazur?"

Janine was well known among the guardians as one of the best and I suddenly realised that maybe that was why Rose was an experienced fighter. Perhaps her mother taught her everything. I would have to ask her.

"I've got to check up on the other guardians. I'll see you tomorrow Belikov. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." We went our separate ways and I wanted nothing more than to sleep.

I rounded the corner and noticed someone in front of me at the end of the hallway. A girl dressed in all black, her back facing me. And within a blink of an eye, she was gone. I quickened my steps and when I reached the corner where she disappeared. Looking around, I saw that I was alone in the hallways. I kept walking towards my room and couldn't help think that the long flowing dark hair looked a lot like Roses. And that was all the confirmation I needed to know that lack of sleep was catching up to me and I was probably losing it.

 **AN: Did you like it? I would love to know. I hope you liked the scene between Jesse and Rose. Chapter seven will most likely be up on Thursday or Friday, I'll try and get it up earlier but no promises haha I do have a lot of uni work to get through, however I will absolutely post this week. Thank you so much for reading xoxo**


	7. Adrian Let Me Sleep

**AN: Hello Everyone! Thank you to everyone who took the time to review, I'm really glad to hear that people are enjoying my story. This chapter ended up being a lot longer than what I had planned but that means a longer chapter for you guys until I update later. For all you Adrian fans he will be making an appearance in this chapter. Anyway, on with the story, enjoy :)**

 **RPOV**

It had been a week since I've been here. Fortunately no other students were kidnapped but the other seven students taken couldn't be found. There were guardians out there trying to find them but there was probably no use. We couldn't even tell if they were alive or not. Abe showed me the files of every student taken and I studied all of them multiple times trying to find a connection. There weren't any aside from them being dhampir's and seniors. Which wasn't a lot to go by. Abe and I were waiting for Sydney to send back the results from the jacket I found and Abe informed me that the guardians couldn't find anything from the students' rooms. This mission was different to my usuals.

I would know who my targets were and I would take them down, them being the strigoi. I rarely ever came across a mission that left me this confused and especially a mission in high school. On the positive side, I have started to grow closer to Lissa, Christian and Eddie, especially Lissa. She was the sister that I never had, and despite Christian and I bickering from time to time, he was actually a pretty cool guy to be around. Eddie was still the same but there were moments when he would enjoy himself and it gave me hope that he'll be okay eventually. My sessions with Dimitri were getting better. He wasn't treating me like a novice but more like an equal. If I was lucky, sometimes he would let loose and smile at my witty comments that always made my heart flutter.

Our session was over for today and although I was stressed out from the mission, I liked having these training sessions to let go and not worry about what I would have to deal with once I walk through those gym doors.

I was sitting on the mats with my water bottle in my hand and watched as Dimitri packed up the equipment.

"Have you been sleeping?" I blurted out before I could stop myself.

I had a talent of confusing Dimitri with my randomness on a regular basis.

"Yeah…why?"

I shrugged and averted my gaze. "You seem a lot more tired than usual. Are these morning sessions cutting into your sleep?"

"Rose if this is your way of trying to get out of them, it's not going to happen."

"That's not what I meant," I replied, laughing a little.

"You've just seemed tense lately, like something is bothering you."

I hoped I hadn't crossed a line by saying that. Dimitri sighed and came to sit in front of me. "You don't have to worry about me Rose," he said kindly.

"I know but it doesn't hurt to talk about it. I might not be the first person you want to talk to, though I'm pretty sure every guardian here is feeling the same pressure as you."

He looked at me for a moment. "Well the kidnappings are taking its toll on everyone here."

Anyone could see the concern etched into Dimitri's face and it made me pity him. He wanted to help as much as he could and he wanted all of this to be solved. The amazing thing about him is his compassion towards people. It was a strength of his I admired.

"I'm sure it has been," I responded sympathetically. "The Dark One will figure this out though."

His head snapped up and he narrowed his eyes slightly. "How do you that the Dark One is helping?"

 _Well shit._

"I overheard Abe talking about it with Alberta," I said dismissively. _Please buy that lie._

"And I would appreciate it if you didn't mention it to them. I'm not even suppose to know."

He bought it. "The Dark One…is not someone that I can put all my faith into. They could be dangerous but the Queen seems to trust them."

I felt the sudden need to defend myself. "They have helped people though right? From what I've heard from Abe, they only kill strigoi."

"Do you know who the Dark One is?" There was something different in his voice when he asked me.

I kept my heartbeat steady as I answered, while smirking. "If I did, I would be bragging about it. Abe won't tell me no matter how much I begged and bribed."

He seemed disappointed by my answer and it was then that I understood. "You don't like it do you? Knowing that there is a being out there that you know nothing about. It bothers you because you haven't seen them and you can't put your trust in something that makes you question whether or not they even exist. The Dark One's existence frustrates you, not because you hate them but because you just want to know something about them, no matter how small."

He watched me with such intensity that it was making it hard to breathe.

"Exactly. Maybe if I saw this person with my own eyes then I _might_ be able to trust them. I just don't understand why they insist on keeping their identity a secret."

I played with my water bottle in my hands.

"Maybe they feel different like they don't belong. I mean can you honestly say that the moroi society will welcome someone like them? From what I've overheard from Abe, they don't seem like a creature that has ever existed. They're something more. No one in our society is going to welcome someone who is one big mystery or someone they fear."

"How much do you really know about the Dark One?"

My eyes met his. "Only what I've heard from Abe and my mother."

His expression changed. "I'm sorry about what happened to your mother Rose. It was a great loss."

"Thank you," I whispered, my mood plummeting

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I caught a glance at the clock on the wall and stood up, Dimitri following me.

"Maybe another time," I suggested. "I have to get ready before breakfast."

"Of course, I'll you see later Roza." He picked up his bag and left the gym.

 _Roza_. My Russian wasn't the best but that was my name in Russian. Oh god, the things this man is doing to me. I liked hearing it though, it sounded intimate. A name just for me. I shook my head in disbelief. I need help. After taking a shower back in my room, I decided to take a nap. The morning training and the stress of the mission was making me exhausted. I had enough time before breakfast so I crawled into bed and it wasn't long until I fell asleep.

Unfortunately for me, I wasn't alone. "Hey little dhampir."

I opened my eyes and saw that I was in a beautiful garden wearing a long white dress. It was the usual place that he would take me to. I quite liked it, there was something about it that made me feel relaxed.

"Adrian, we've talked about this. You have got to stop disturbing my sleep."

"You are asleep," he replied dryly. "Besides I figured you would miss seeing my gorgeous face."

I joined Adrian on the bench. "There are a lot of things I miss and you are not one of them."

"Even when we're miles apart you're still not nice to me," he said, pretending to be offended.

I laughed. "How are you two?"

"We're great. Sydney actually asked me to dream walk you and it is way too early for you to be awake now anyway."

I didn't bother telling him that I had training sessions at six. He wouldn't believe me.

"Sydney did a few DNA tests on the jacket you found. She found two sets of DNA."

"Who did they belong to?" I wasn't expecting two people's DNA being on it.

"A dhampir named Mason Ashford and a human girl- Lauren Wakefield who was reported as missing about a few days ago."

"Mason was the student that went missing. The academy ruled him as deceased. I only smelt human blood on the jacket though not dhampir blood."

He was nodding before I had finished my sentence.

"I know, the blood was Lauren's but there were hair follicles that belonged to Mason. The jacket must have belonged to him."

I stood up and started pacing back and forth. "That blood was fresh Adrian, I don't understand how the jacket ended up there and how blood from a random human was on there, unless Mason…" My voice died down and I came to a stop.

"Unless Mason is a strigoi." Adrian finished.

"No," I whispered. "No you don't think he…" This was going to crush Eddie if it were true.

"It's a strong possibility little dhampir."

I looked at Adrian. "Or a strigoi could've stolen Mason's jacket." It sounded even more ridiculous saying it out loud. "Can Sydney find out for sure about Mason's death?"

He grimaced. "Probably but you know how I feel about this. I don't like it when Sydney gets mixed up in strigoi business."

"Adrian, she literally see's dead strigoi's to get rid of their bodies."

His green eyes narrowed at me. "I know but they're _dead_ strigoi and this kind of work stresses Sydney out and increases her caffeine intake by a crazy amount."

"If it's that bad then give her a massage and help her relax in your "Adrian" way."

He smirked. "Adrian way? What is that?"

"Don't make me explain it," I groaned. "Just have her try and look into it. If she can't then it's fine, but I need something to confirm Mason's death."

He dropped the smirk and stared at me.

"Adrian, stop that."

"Stop what?" he asked innocently.

"You're reading my aura and I hate when you do that. You can't read my mind with it. You might be a spirit user but even you have your limitations."

"I am sort of in your mind right now but I was staring because I don't think I've seen you so worked up over a mission before."

I averted my gaze, suddenly interested in the grass. "I'm just passionate about my missions, nothing new."

"You got attached didn't you? It had to have happened eventually, why now?"

 _Stupid aura reading._

"There's this guy-Eddie-he was Mason's best friend and seeing how affected he is by the loss of Mason reminded me of what I went through when I lost my mum."

"Little dhampir," he whispered, pulling me into a hug. "You can't save everyone and you know why it's not good to get attached. I know you're trying to help, but what if this mission doesn't go as planned?"

"Then your _great aunt_ will have my head," I mumbled into his shoulder. "I've been on several missions, but none that required me to develop a trusting relationship with other people, at least not for a long period of time."

He pulled away, his hands still on my shoulders. "This is temporary. This entire undercover thing isn't going to last. When you have this figured out, you're going to leave and continue to be the Dark One and move onto the next assignment. It's how it's always been."

He was right. I couldn't see Lissa, Christian or Eddie as friends. I couldn't see Dimitri as the attractive teacher I had a crush on because when this case is solved, I move on with my duties and they move on with their lives. It sucked. I rarely had the privilege of meeting people I liked. Abe, Adrian and Sydney were family to me and I loved them, but it would be nice to be able to have more friends.

"How do I not get attached, Adrian?"

He didn't say anything for a moment and it seemed like he was thinking of his answer. "You've done it before. I know it's different this time because they're genuinely good people and you have to work close to them, but you have to remind yourself that you have one job and that is to solve this problem and then get out."

"I've always wondered what it would be like to go to high school and hang out with my friends, go to parties to have fun, not to hunt strigoi. Don't get me wrong, I love being who I am and I love knowing that because of me there were so many potential victims who were saved. This is the closest I have ever come to being…normal."

Adrian placed his finger under my chin, forcing me to look at him.

"There are a lot of words I would use to describe you, but normal is not one of them. You are Rose Hathaway, the Dark One and one day you will become a legend. Everything you are experiencing now is far greater than any other _normal_ experience people go through in high school. Maybe one day you will get to slow down, fall in love and have a family and then you can experience the normal life. Right now, you have a mission and another one waiting for you in New Orleans. You've got to get it together Rose."

I hated it when he was right. I didn't choose to be a draugr. I didn't choose this life but I'm thankful to be what I am, who I am. I wasn't going to give that up for something I could find later on in life when I would be ready.

"Okay. I'll figure this assignment out and then I'll fly out to New Orleans and move on like I always do." I was trying to convince myself that this was the right thing to do.

"This isn't ideal, I know," said Adrian, running a hand through his hair. "But you're going to be fine, you always are."

"Thanks Adrian." I hugged him again and then stepped back. "I appreciate it but this is starting to get a little too sentimental for me. You know I can't handle that kind of shit."

He laughed, throwing his head back. I did miss his laugh it was the kind of laugh that made me feel good inside. "Thank god you haven't changed."

"Like I ever would, anyway I have to wake up so off you go."

With one last goodbye, Adrian and the garden disappeared and I woke up from my nap. Checking the time, I made sure that I wasn't late for breakfast. I changed into more suitable clothes and went to meet the others at the cafeteria. I held my head up high confident that I could treat all of this as work. After all, I was only here to work.

* * *

"You let another student get kidnapped? You're suppose to prevent that from happening."

If it weren't for Abe right now, I would've grabbed the laptop and thrown it against the wall if it meant she would shut up. It had been a week meaning that we had to give Tatiana an update and she wasn't too happy to hear about the recent kidnapping. She was lucky that we were doing this through a video call and not in person because not even the guardians could hold me back from choking her.

"Have you even found anything useful?"

I glowered at her. "Of course I have, I'm unable to confirm the full details of it but I believe I do have a positive lead."

"A positive lead?" she asked mockingly. "That doesn't help anyone Rosemarie."

She says one more thing to piss me off and I'm going to lose it.

"It's only been a week. The guardians have been out searching but it's hard to figure out how this happened when I don't have anything to go by."

"What are you trying to say? That they just vanished? I'm starting to question your credibility."

That's it. Fuck being respectful. I leaned forward making sure she could see just how pissed off I was.

"Do I need to remind you that I don't need to be doing this? There are thousands of strigoi out there that I would rather be hunting down instead of babysitting a bunch of students so your precious royals are safe."

My voice was growing louder with each word dripping in menace. I sounded more dangerous than I did when I was threatening Jesse. My fists were clenched so tightly and my body was shaking with anger. I had no idea where this rage was coming from.

"This problem isn't going to go away within a few days because realistically it might take months. If you have an issue with that, then deal with it. It's easy for you to criticise everything that I do since you're safe at court and you're not the one getting your hands dirty. If you think it's so easy then I would _love_ to see you come here and figure it out yourself."

She was not impressed with my outburst but I was not even close to being done.

"I am not a part your stupid moroi society and I _do not_ have to abide by your rules because I am above them. You're lucky that I'm even here."

"You are out of line-"

"I don't care!" I tried to calm myself down, but it wasn't working. "No one else seems to know how to make this go away so if you want this problem handled, show me some damn respect."

Without bothering to hear her response, I slammed the laptop shut and stood up, screaming in frustration.

"Rose, breathe."

Abe was standing a few feet away from me. He knew not to get too close when I was this angry. I think he was more concerned with how I hadn't been this angry since we hit the dead end on finding who killed my mother. I realised that I was breathing heavily and I couldn't stop shaking.

"I need a minute." I murmured.

"I think you might need more than a minute," he responded.

Nodding slowly, I walked past him and left his room. I wasn't sure where I was going but I needed to let all this anger out. It was close to curfew by now and I should be heading back to my room but there was no way I could sleep like this. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I hadn't realised I had arrived close to the woods just near the borders. It was the start of the daytime for humans so there would be no risk of running into any strigoi.

Glancing around, I saw some guardians with their backs to me and took that as my chance to run. I ran and ran, no destination in mind and practically flew through the woods. Perks of the academy being in a secluded area meant that no one would see me. Not that they could with how fast I was running, my figure would be a blur to anyone. I didn't know how long I had been running until I reached a road.

Abruptly coming to a stop, I was still breathing heavily, not from exhaustion but from the emotion that was building up in my chest, suffocating me. It was all catching up to me. Instead of dealing with my problems, I just buried them deep down and left them there for way too long. It was falling apart now. I was falling apart. Everything that I had wanted to cry and scream about was coming out all at once. I fell to my knees, clutching my head and closed my eyes.

"Breathe Rose," I murmured to myself. "You're going to be fine. Everything will be okay."

I repeated the words my mum would say to me whenever I was upset and went to her crying. She wasn't here to comfort me and instead I had to do it myself. I stayed there for a while, my mind blank and my heart heavy. I need to get it together. Opening my eyes, I sat there and watched the sunrise, letting the heat warm up my body. I didn't want to go back to the academy but I needed to and I didn't want Abe worrying. Reluctantly, I picked myself up from the ground and turned around to go back.

 **AN: I hope you liked the chapter! I'll probably post chapter eight either on Sunday or Monday, depends on when I finish writing it but I will for sure have it done by then. I thankfully don't have any upcoming assignments for uni at the moment so hopefully that'll give me time to smash out the next two chapters. Thank you for reading xoxo**


	8. Roza and Comrade

**AN: Hello! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed and favourite my story, it makes me so happy that you guys like it so far! I wasn't going to post this till Monday but I thought I would be nice and update now. Thank you to** **cloclovilla** **for pointing out an error in the first chapter. I did state that only one Draugr could exist in the world and that Janine came from a long line of Draugr's. That does not mean Janine was one as well. Janine was a dhampir. Rose became a draugr when the previous one died and that could have been a relative of hers. I will definitely explain it more in detail in later chapters but hopefully that clears things up for all of you who were confused.** **This chapter is a little different to the rest. It's centred around Dimitri and Rose since I haven't written as many scenes between the two as much as I wanted to. This chapter is a little shorter than the others because at the end it seemed like a good place to leave it. Here's chapter eight. Enjoy :)**

 **RPOV**

One time I tried to meditate when Sydney told me that it would be a good idea. It didn't last very long. I lack patience and sitting still for an hour was a waste of time in my opinion. That's an hour I could have spent killing strigoi. In this moment though, I craved for quiet and something that would help me relax. There was only one place on campus that could bring me that. The Church. I snuck past guardians, dodging them with ease and slipped into the Church. Obviously there was no one here at this time, including the Priest so I sat down in one of the pews close to the front where the candles were lit, providing an atmosphere where I actually felt safe.

Now I'm not a religious person but I did have to appreciate that the Church made me feel something that I couldn't find anywhere else. Peace. I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing trying to let the silence calm me down. It was the closest I was going to get to meditating. My heartbeat became steady and my breathing became quiet. The silence was interrupted when I heard the door open and sensed something entering the Church. I caught a whiff of aftershave and knew exactly who it was. Dimitri was here.

"Rose?"

Opening my eyes, I turned to see Dimitri standing, watching me curiously. "Are you okay?"

I nodded and stared straight ahead watching the flames flicker. He sat down next to me, well aware of his eyes on me.

"I saw you run past the other guardians and come in here. You do know it's past curfew right?"

"I know," I whispered. "I just needed to come here first."

Suddenly being in this Church made me want to let go of my strong hold on burying my emotions. For once in such a long time I wanted to feel.

"Dimitri, have you ever lost someone you loved?"

He was taken by surprise with my question and he hesitated before answering.

"I lost my best friend Ivan. He was my charge and told me to take a vacation. I did and while I was away, he was killed by strigoi."

I pulled my gaze away from the candles to look at Dimitri. He had his guardian mask on but I could see the sadness in his eyes. It was similar to what I went through with my mother. I turned back to stare in front of me, nervously playing with the sleeves of my top.

"A few months ago, I went to Palm Springs to visit two friends of mine and Abe was in Turkey on business. My mum was going to be at home by herself for about a week. Her charge was safe with other guardians so she was allowed to take some time off. We didn't think anything would happen to her. She was Janine Hathaway, one of the best guardians out there."

My steady heartbeat was slowly becoming more rapid and my voice was turning into a whisper slightly wavering.

"There weren't any wards around our house because we didn't think we would ever need them. Strigoi broke into the house one night and there had to have been more than one. When I came back from Palm Springs I found her just lying there. Her neck was snapped and she was covered in bite marks. There was so much blood everywhere. No one even knew what had happened to her until I got back."

I closed my eyes, trying to stop any tears from falling. I refused to cry, especially in front of Dimitri.

"It's my fault. I should have been there," I whispered.

Dimitri sighed. "Roza it's not your fault. You couldn't have known that would happen to her. If anyone is to blame, it's the strigoi that killed her. I'm sure she wouldn't want you to beat yourself up about it."

"You blame yourself for Ivan's death Dimitri. You of all people should know that it's not that easy."

I glanced up and met his warm brown eyes. Usually, I would look away but this time, I held his gaze. "How do we not blame ourselves? I just want it to get easier."

"It doesn't get easier," he said, still looking at me. "You just learn to deal with it."

My talk with Adrian about not getting attached came back to me and I realised that I was not doing that. I guess I could start tomorrow but for now, I just needed someone.

"Thank you," I said genuinely.

"You're welcome Roza."

"You've called me that a couple of times now. My name in Russian."

He gave me a small smile. "I didn't know you knew Russian."

"I don't. I just have a friend who does and I remember her telling me what Roza meant."

"You miss her." It was a statement rather than a question. Apparently I was an open book tonight.

I smiled at the thought of Sydney and Adrian and the memories with them.

"They're family. Her and her boyfriend are the closest thing to a brother and a sister. I haven't seen them in a while so it can be hard. Guess I'm feeling a bit homesick."

"I know the feeling." His eyes lit up and a fond smile appeared on his face. Is that what I looked like when I talked about Sydney and Adrian? Probably not half as good-looking though.

"You miss your family?"

"Yes. My mother, grandmother and three sisters."

I laughed quietly. "Three sisters. Wow must be a loud household."

"Loud doesn't even cover it. Especially since Karolina and Sonya-my older sisters both have children."

The way Dimitri looked when he was talking about his family brought my mood up a little bit. I wanted to see more of this side of him.

"And your other sister?"

"Viktoria, she's the youngest. Actually she kind of reminds me of you, I bet you two would get along great."

"I'm probably not the best person to make friends with. I might corrupt her," I said jokingly.

"You're a better person than you would think."

I took a deep breath and stood up knowing that if I didn't I might not stop myself from saying something I would regret later. It was time to come back to reality. Dimitri stood up too.

"Thank you again Comrade. I really needed to talk to someone."

He smiled at me. "I'm always here."

I knew that as soon as we left the Church we were going to go back to the student-teacher role. I wanted to savour this moment and took everything in. The way he was looking at me, the electricity between us, the comforting silence that surrounded us and the way the light from the candles completed the perfect ambiance. I may never experience something like this again and that thought saddened me but I accepted it.

"Come on, it's way after curfew. I'll take you back to your room."

Agreeing, we left the Church and as we did, I felt like I had left a piece of myself behind.

* * *

 **DPOV**

There was something different. I noticed it the moment she walked into the gym the next morning. She looked exhausted, which I expected but she also seemed shut off. There was a blank look in her eyes and I knew that what happened last night in the Church was not something she wanted to revisit. I didn't think it was a good idea to be detached from her emotions but I wasn't going to say anything. I just wanted to know why the sudden change. She went outside to do her laps while I finished setting up. When Rose requested that I teach her something useful I didn't know what I could teach her that Janine already hadn't and that's when the idea came to me. Graduation was months away but I wanted to start training her for the trials. There was more to teach her but this felt better for today's lesson. I knew she would want something to keep her busy and this would do the trick. She finished her laps in record time and I noticed that she never seemed to be out of breath. Her stamina was impressive.

"I'm going to train you for the finals you'll have to take in order to graduate."

Something flashed in her eyes but it was gone within a blink of an eye. She seemed hesitant like she was unsure if she wanted to do it.

"Rose?" I said, trying to get her attention.

"What do I have to do?"

I explained the rules to her and went through each stage of the circuit. She nodded along and prepared to start.

"I want you to practice doing this on your own first and then you can practice with me as a fake moroi. There are strigoi dummies placed around the circuit, I want you to show me how you would take them down with the practice stake."

"Got it."

"Alright, your time starts now."

Rose took my breath away. Her beauty always did that to me but this time it was her skill and agility to get through each stage. Her mother trained her well. There weren't any slip-ups, which I expected and she remained focused the entire time. She was climbing the rope and trying to pull herself up onto the ledge with one hand while the other gripped the stake when her foot slipped and she hit the ground, hard. I heard a crack and ran to her to make sure she was okay.

"Roza? Are you hurt? I thought I heard a crack."

She sat up with her back to me while she cradled her left wrist in her hand.

"Rose?"

Without a word, she stood up and turned around. "Of course, I'm fine."

"Let me see." I grabbed her wrist and turned it over in my hand, feeling for a broken bone.

"Relax Dimitri, I'm fine." She pulled her wrist away from my grasp and moved it around with ease.

"But I heard a crack. I know the sound of bone breaking Rose. There's no way that fall didn't hurt you."

My words seemed to annoy her, which didn't make any sense.

"I'm sure I'll have bruises from the fall tomorrow but I didn't break anything. I would feel it," she said, a hint of annoyance evident in her voice.

"You should go the infirmary just in case."

"Dimitri I'm fine," she replied, sounding exasperated. "I'm going to try again."

"Rose no we can come back to this another time."

She glared at me her behaviour was throwing me off. "No one is going to care if I break my wrist during the trials, I'll have no choice but to continue."

I watched her walk back to the start and looked at me. "I want to try again."

Reluctantly I restarted the timer and she went through each stage without faltering. When she reached the ropes I tensed, ready to catch her if she fell again but she pulled herself onto the ledge and continued. It didn't take long for her to finish.

"That was good but the real thing will be much harder. There will be guardians acting as strigoi who will fight back and you will have a guardian acting as a moroi who you need to protect."

With a simple nod, she gathered her things getting ready to leave.

"Rose, wait. We should talk."

"About?"

"What was really going on last night? I know there's more to it than your mother's death."

Her face was a blank canvas, not even a hint of an emotion. "There's nothing else. My mum was in my thoughts, that's all."

I didn't believe her, I knew there was something else but she had her walls up. Pushing her into telling me wasn't going to work but I tried it anyway.

"You can talk to me, shutting it out won't work. Whatever's going on I can help you."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Dimitri just leave it alone. Please." With that she hurriedly left the gym.

Maybe that wasn't the best way to get her to open up. I didn't know if she would and I knew that whatever was going on was messing with her mind. It's why she fell today and the longer she had her walls up, the worse it was going to get for her. From day one there was something about her that I couldn't quite put my finger on and not being able to figure it out was bothering me.

She had become a lot more tense and stressed out recently. At first I had waved it off since it was just her settling into a new school but what if it went beyond that? I left the gym and walked back to my room to take a shower when an idea came to me. The school dance wasn't that far away and I'm guessing she was going to need a dress. What better way to relax than to get out of the academy for a day?

 **AN: Just to make it clear, Dimitri knows absolutely nothing about Rose's secret and he thinks that the reason Rose is such a good fighter is because she is Janine's daughter. I hope you liked the chapter :) Since this chapter is short, I'll most likely post the next chapter earlier than usual. I've already finished writing it, just need to edit a few things and I'm almost done with chapter ten so I'll be uploading more than usual over the next few days. Thank you so much for reading xoxo**


	9. The Shopping Trip

**AN: I'm on a roll here. Literally wrote this chapter in one go. Thank you to everyone who left a nice comment on the last chapter. I love reading them :) You are all so sweet! Here's chapter nine. Enjoy!**

 **RPOV**

I was avoiding him. It was childish but it meant that I could dodge the ongoing questions. I know Dimitri means well and he is genuinely concerned for me but I did not need him getting too close to me. Class was over, I was glad that it was lunch and I went to the cafeteria to see an excited Lissa, a bored Christian and a nervous Eddie.

"Hey guys," I greeted, placing my tray of food on the table and taking a seat next to Eddie.

"Rose, guess what? Kirova is letting us go the mall," Lissa said cheerily.

Well no wonder why Eddie didn't look too great. "All of us?"

She nodded as she tucked her long blonde hair behind her ear. "We're leaving later tonight, morning for humans for safety."

Her smile slightly faltered and I knew she was remembering the last time they went on a shopping trip.

"Sounds great," I offered, trying to sound excited and ease the tension. "But what's the occasion?"

"Oh I can't believe I forgot to tell you, it's the school dance next weekend and we have to find dresses."

I loved clothes but I hated shopping for them. "What time do we leave?"

"After dinner." Lissa was beaming and not wanting to ruin her mood I smiled and nodded along until she asked me something I didn't think about.

"Who are you going to bring as your date?"

I inwardly groaned. "No one."

"We can just go as a group Liss," suggested Christian, coming to my rescue.

I mouthed a thank you to him and Lissa thought it would be a good idea. She continued to talk about the dance and every now and then I would steal a glance at Eddie. He seemed uncomfortable with the idea of leaving the academy for shopping, again. We walked together to our next class and I wanted to make sure he was hanging in there.

"It'll be daytime Eddie, you won't have anything to worry about."

He sighed. "I know, I just can't help but think back to what happened last time."

"It won't happen again," I said firmly. "We'll have more guardians this time and we'll have each other's backs, alright?"

Eddie didn't seem too convinced but shot me grateful smile anyway. The rest of the day went by quickly and I found myself feeling a bit excited to do something normal. I rarely went out to buy new clothes and I always did it over online shopping. It was much easier that way. After dinner, I went back to my room to change into different clothes. Settling for a pair of new jeans, a turtleneck sweater and low-heeled boots. I tucked my stake into the back of my pants and made sure the sweater would hide it. I braided my hair loosely to one side since the high neckline of the top would cover my neck and left to go meet the others outside. I met up with Eddie along the way and squeezed his hand once more letting him know that he'll be fine. There were six guardians including Dimitri. I thought it was a bit much but there were two royals with us. Eddie and I weren't going as practice guardians thankfully, instead just as the students we were. What I didn't expect to see was Abe.

"You hate shopping as much as I do," I joked.

He winked at me. "But I love clothes." We were so alike it scared me.

Everyone around us seemed to feel slightly uneasy at Abe's appearance, which made me want to laugh. If only they knew that he wasn't as dangerous as he seemed. Then again, I was way more badass than he was. Though I would never admit that to him. He would hate me.

"You'll be in my car Rose." I was about to object, wanting to sit with the others but I could tell that he wanted to talk to me.

"I'll meet you guys at the mall." Lissa looked disappointed but I gave her a reassuring smile and promised to ride back with her.

We were in the car, Pavel was driving and Abe put the divider up between the front and backseat to give us privacy while we talked.

"We need to talk about what happened yesterday."

"I lost control and I would say I'm sorry but I wouldn't mean it," I replied bluntly.

"Rose I couldn't care less about what you said to Tatiana. If you weren't so worked up I would have found the entire situation amusing. I'm worried. You haven't acted that way since that dead end. What happened?"

I turned away to stare out the window. "I honestly don't know. All this anger just built up inside of me and I couldn't control what I was saying or doing."

"Has that happened often?"

"No, it hasn't happened for a while."

He placed his hand on mine. "Rose you know that if anything is too much for you to handle, then all you have to do is just say the word and we're out. There are other missions you can take."

"I've already started, you know how I feel about unfinished business."

Abe didn't say anything after that and after a while he removed his hand. We didn't say anything else for the rest of the trip to the mall and I almost fell asleep. When we arrived, the cold wind hit me first but it was still a bit sunny. It felt nice, like I was breathing in fresh air for the first time. I immediately made my way over to Lissa and she hooked her arm around mine as we started the hunt for a dress.

Christian and Eddie went with three of the guardians to look for suits while the other three stayed with Lissa and me. One of them being Dimitri and of course Abe and Pavel went their own way. I didn't bother asking him where he was going and let him do his own thing. We entered the first store and a realisation hit me. The variety of dresses was limited to me since there were so many that were strapless, backless or had cut outs in the back. My tattoos had to remain hidden and I wondered if I would even find something that I would like that would hide my back.

"Find anything you like Rose?" I glanced around the store and saw nothing that would hide the tattoos.

"No nothing in here."

Lissa did the same. "Yeah, there aren't that many good ones in here, let's go to a different one."

"What's the dance for anyway?"

"It's just a dance, we have one every year but everyone goes all out since it's the only one we have. That's why we have to find the perfect dress."

I wondered if Adrian would come to the dance if I asked him. Sydney wouldn't be able to come since she was a human but it would have been nice if she could. I should ask Adrian later. It would be nice to see him in person. The last time I had seen them was the last time I was in Palm Springs.

"What about this store?" I asked.

We entered the store and I was satisfied to see a few more options that I would like. Lissa had her eyes set on a few. I felt someone's eyes on me and looked over my shoulder to see Dimitri looking straight at me. Turning away, I pretended to be interested in the dresses. After yesterday's session, I was terrified that he would figure me out. Especially when I broke my wrist after that fall. I was distracted and my mind was elsewhere that I hadn't realised that the move I made would make me fall. I was careless and it could have revealed my secret. It was a long shot that Dimitri would put two and two together but I had to be extra cautious. I did feel bad for being dismissive with him. While Lissa was deciding between two dresses I walked over to Dimitri who was standing far guard. Alberta was with us and she was passing the dresses pretending to be a customer while scanning the area while the third guardian stood outside the store.

"Hi," I said, my voice small.

He nodded at me, still keeping an eye out for any danger.

"Look I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to be so rude, I'm just not use to opening up to people."

He looked at me with an unreadable expression. "It's okay Rose, I shouldn't have pushed you."

"So we're cool?"

His lips twitched. "We're fine."

I shot him a smile and went to join Lissa when I saw the dress. A dress that was perfect for me. A dress that would cover my back. A dress that was sexy but classy at the same time. Lissa joined me and followed to where I was looking, a grin slowly creeping up.

"Oh, Rose you are not leaving without buying that dress. It's perfect."

"Yeah it is." I ran my fingers over the soft material imagining how I would look in it. Picking out my size, I turned to Lissa.

"Do you know which one you're going with?"

She seemed conflicted. "I really like both. What do you think?"

I studied them both as she held them against her body. "That one. It's more your colour."

"Yeah you're right." Her dress was a pale pink dress that would hug her tall frame nicely. It was simple, elegant and very Lissa.

"Christian will love you in that."

She blushed. "He better love it. This dress isn't cheap."

Laughing we went to the counter and bought our dresses. Christian and Eddie met up with us after that and we made our way back to the academy. This time, I was in the van and there was only one seat left, in the back next to Dimitri. I sat down and leaned against the window. I let out a content sigh.

"You seem to be doing better," he said quietly. Everyone except for the guardians was falling asleep.

"Yeah I'm feeling better. This trip was something I needed."

Dimitri smiled to himself and then it was gone, but I had seen it.

"Wait. Did you have something to do with this?" I asked.

He hesitated, looking unsure about whether he should answer me. "I…might have played a hand in this."

I was touched. "Thank you. I really did need it."

"You're welcome Roza."

I settled into my seat and slowly drifted into an almost dreamless sleep when I saw the familiar garden and one of my favourite people in the world.

"Adrian," I walked closer to him, happy to see him again.

"Hey little dhampir, you seem to be doing better." So I've heard. "You look like you haven't slept in a while."

I rolled my eyes. "Way to ruin the moment."

"How are you really doing though?"

The sun was shining and the warmth felt good on my skin. "I'm feeling a bit homesick actually."

Adrian's face broke out into a smile. "I knew it, you did miss me."

I shook my head and laughed. "Yes Adrian I have missed you. Mostly Sydney but you as well."

"It has been a bit dull without you around. Although the time I get to spend with Sydney has been nice." That fond smile he gets when he talks about her appeared.

"How is she doing?"

"She's Sydney. Buried in work and barely takes any time to relax. Although I did try to help her relax the "Adrian" way as you put it and I have to say it did wonders."

I groaned. "Spare me the details."

Adrian chuckled. "We both miss you little dhampir."

Suddenly I remembered the dance. "Actually the school is having a dance next weekend and I know Sydney won't be able to come but maybe you could?"

His face softened. "I'm not sure if I can but I'll do my best."

I tried not to let the disappointment show but it clearly showed in my aura.

"Don't worry, we'll all be reunited soon. Hell I actually miss Abe."

I snorted. "Oh god, I can't believe you just said that."

"Me neither. Don't tell him that though," he said winking at me. "I'm actually here to give you an update on that dhampir, Mason."

I immediately straightened up. "What did you find?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Sydney couldn't find anything on him. I'm sorry but it's not like we have any connections to strigoi."

It was what I expected to hear and a part of me was relieved that there was nothing to confirm that Mason was a strigoi. As harsh as it sounds, it's better for Mason to be dead rather than un-dead.

"Thanks for trying anyway." Something Adrian said came back to me. He and Sydney don't have any connections to strigoi, but the Dark One does. Well enemies more than connections. Same thing.

"Oh no, the wheels are turning. What are you planning?" Adrian eyed me suspiciously and I gave him a full smile.

"Nothing bad."

"We have different definitions of 'bad'," he pointed out.

"I'll be fine Adrian. I'll talk to you later, I need to get back."

"Bye little dhampir. Don't do anything stupid."

The dream dissolved and I was brought back to the waking world. We had just reached the iron gates of the academy, just in time. I shifted in my seat and looked down to see Dimitr's duster covering me like a blanket. It smelt like him and it was keeping me warm. I bet I would sleep better at night if I had this with me. I reluctantly gave it back to him, thanking him and stretched my arms out.

"Since it's the weekend, you won't have any training sessions. You should get some rest."

Thank goodness. I really just wanted to sleep and we only have about a few hours to rest since the trip to mall cut into our time. I walked alongside Eddie and he gave me a nod letting me know he was okay. Lissa and Christian caught up to us.

"I can't wait to see you in the dress Rose."

"I'm actually looking forward to the dance." It was true.

The guys went to the boys' dorms and that left Lissa and I to head towards the girls' dorms. I realised I hadn't updated Abe about the DNA sample Sydney pulled from the jacket but decided one more day wouldn't hurt.

"You seemed to have slept well in the van," she noted.

"Yeah, I had a friend visit me." I blurted it out before I could stop myself.

Lissa stared at me in confusion. "Visit you?"

"Um, my friend is a spirit user and he has the ability to dream walk. He can visit other people's dreams." It's not like it was a secret, some people knew what he could do.

Lissa stopped walking. "He's a spirit user?"

I shrugged, acting like it was no big deal. "Yeah."

"Can I meet him?" Well I didn't see that one coming.

"You already have a boyfriend and he is very much in love with his girlfriend."

She gave me a look that said 'seriously'. "Not like that. I want to meet him because…I'm a spirit user too. I've never met anyone like me before. Do you think he'd be okay with meeting me?"

I didn't see that one coming either.

"Of course, I'll have to ask him though, he's been pretty busy lately." I remembered how he might not even be able to make it to the dance.

"What can you do as a spirit user anyway?" We continued walking through the moroi dorms.

"I can heal things, plants, people and my compulsion is stronger than any other moroi."

"Adrian has the same deal with the compulsion but he can't heal. That's amazing."

"What else can he do?"

We reached her room and she turned to me. "He can see aura's and charm objects with spirit."

"Wow, I've never even thought what other spirit users are capable of."

"Yeah, I don't think I'm the best person to explain it. I'll see what I can do to get him here."

She gave me a tired smile. "Thank you Rose. It'll be nice to be around someone like me. I've felt so different to everyone else for so long."

Oh how I knew that feeling.

"No problem. Anyway my bed is calling me, I'll see you at breakfast."

I gave her a quick hug and walked to my room, luckily for me it wasn't too far away. I had almost reached my room when I saw the person who had the room in front of mine had their door slightly open. If I remembered correctly, it was a dhampir girl named Meredith. I wanted to ignore it and go to bed but something felt off. There was no one else around at this time since everyone was asleep. I hesitantly walked towards the room and peered inside. I needed to call for help.

 **AN: A cliffhanger I know it's not everyone's favourite but it seemed like a good place to finish. To anyone wondering, this story is mostly set during the time of Shadow Kiss but I will pull parts from the first two books as well. Chapter ten will be up soon and I'll most likely be posting on either Wednesday or Thursday. I'll aim for Wednesday though. I hope you enjoyed the story and thank you for reading xoxo Have a great day/night! :)**


	10. Compulsion Has Limitations

**AN: IMPORTANT! I need you guys to tell me who you want to find out Rose's secret first. Is it Dimitri, Lissa, Eddie, Christian, someone else or do you want me to surprise you? I'm planning on someone finding out her secret much later on since I think it's still too early for her reveal but I would love to know who you'd prefer. Also, when Dimitri does find out about Rose do you want it to be written in Rose's or Dimitri's point of view? Anyway here's chapter ten and as usual, I hope you enjoy :)**

 **RPOV**

There were guardians everywhere and the academy was in lock down. I had told the dorm matron to call for Alberta to let her know that there was a possible kidnapping. Luckily it was daylight outside so a dhampir body being dragged out of the academy was going to stand out. As soon as I knew that the guardians would be alerted, I raced down to Abe's room and informed him about what was going on. I had placed my earpiece in and ran outside the borders. The guardians would have the academy grounds covered and I could search the woods a lot faster. When I had looked in Meredith's room, it was a mess. It looked like there had been a fight, meaning she had put up a fight with whoever was trying to take her. I came to a standstill in the middle of the woods and closed my eyes. If I was going to find them, I had to concentrate. I shut out any background noises and focused in on something that would give away their location. It was hard trying to push past the sound of the wind, birds chirping and the chaos that was happening back at the academy. But I did it and the sound of a prominent heartbeat and heavy breathing became the focus. I sprinted towards the sound darting past the trees until I heard the voices.

"Come on, hurry up. We're running out of time."

"I'm trying," a man grunted.

They came into view and I saw a man in a car behind the wheel, his head out the window looking behind him and another man with Meredith slung over his shoulder, ready to put her in the trunk of the car. They were both human and they had no idea I was there. I used my speed and strength and lashed out at the man holding Meredith. He hadn't expected something to hit him as he went flying back and I went straight for Meredith as her body flew back as well. I caught her in my arms and placed her down on the ground carefully.

"What the hell?" I could hear the man muttering and he stepped on the gas, speeding away.

Dammit. I almost had him. I could have caught up to him but my main priority was Meredith and I had the other guy passed out anyway. She was unconscious but still alive.

"Abe I found her and the man that was trying to kidnap her. One of them got away though."

"It's fine, you got one of them, he'll have to do for now. How is she?"

"She's still breathing. Her head is bleeding though, must've been how she was knocked out. I'm outside of the borders, near the west wing of the academy."

"The guardians are already on their way. Rose you need to get out of there, you can't let anyone see you."

I didn't want to leave Meredith but he was right. The guardians were getting closer and I could hear them. I ran back to the academy to Abe's room where he was waiting for me.

"She's going to be fine Rose. You saved her."

"Thank goodness I checked out her room when I did. There were two humans, they have to be working for strigoi."

"They were probably promised immortality if they did the dirty work," said Abe as he handed me a glass of water.

"These strigoi are going through a lot of trouble. They could kidnap plenty of dhampir's and moroi out there who are unprotected but they are taking students from here within the wards."

"It doesn't fit." Abe's phone rang. "Hello?...oh good…of course I'll let them know."

"Did they get to her?"

Abe nodded, placing his phone in his pocket. "They did, Alberta said to say thank you."

I stood up, finishing the last of the water. "I have to try and talk to the guy."

"Rose you can't. Alberta will be interrogating him and Meredith will be questioned, as soon as she is taken care of."

"But I can get answers out of him a lot easier. I have strong compulsion."

He shook his head. "Just wait until Alberta has had the chance and then you can intervene. For now, I need to take you to her since you were the one who noticed Meredith was taken."

I went with him to guardian headquarters where the man was taken to a room being watched by guardians. I caught a glimpse of him through the window. He was well-built for a human and despite being stared down by expressionless guardians who looked intimidating, he didn't seem to be bothered. Although someone who was working for strigoi, I didn't expect anything different.

"Rose?" My attention snapped towards Alberta and Dimitri. "Tell us what happened?"

I didn't get why they were asking, it's not like they knew what I really did. Must be protocol.

"I walked Lissa back to her room and then went back to mine when I saw that Meredith's door was slightly open. I looked inside and her place was trashed like someone other than her had been in there. I thought she might have been kidnapped like the others and that was when I told the dorm matron to call you."

Alberta nodded as I spoke. "Where did you go after that? She said you took off running."

"I went to Abe's room to tell him what was going on." It was mostly true.

"Okay, thank you for alerting us Rose. Meredith would have been taken if you hadn't reported it."

She walked past us towards the room where the man was.

Abe turned to me, forcing me to look at him. "I'm going to go with Alberta. You go back to your room and get some rest."

I heard the double meaning in his words. I still had the earpiece on me that I had removed before coming here. He wanted me to go back to my room and listen in on the interrogation.

"Alright. I'll see you later."

Dimitri followed Abe into the room and I hurried back to my room, locking the door and putting the earpiece back on.

" _What is your name?" I heard Alberta's voice. She was clearly taking the lead._

Silence. _"I asked you a question."_ The man didn't say anything.

" _Fine, I guess we'll just sit here until you're ready to talk."_

More silence. Ugh. I could be sleeping right now instead of listening to this.

" _My name is Callum Wakefield,"_ he replied gruffly. I took my phone out and texted Sydney to look up the man.

" _Who are you working for?"_

" _I don't know."_

" _Are you working for strigoi?"_

" _I don't know what you're talking about."_

" _Why did you kidnap that girl?"_

" _I was told to."_

" _Who told you to?"_

" _I don't know."_

I could hear Alberta sigh in frustration. There was something about his answers that stood out to me. I just couldn't figure it out yet.

" _How did you get inside the academy?"_

" _I don't know."_

" _Did someone let you in?"_

" _I don't remember."_

This interrogation was useless. They weren't going to get anything out of him. I texted Abe to fill me in later. I pocketed the earpiece and left the room to visit Meredith. The guardians would be preoccupied with the man and there were only two guardians standing guard. They didn't say anything as I walked past them, probably because they knew I wasn't a threat. Meredith was awake but I could tell she was struggling to keep her eyes open.

"You can only stay for a little while," said Dr Olendzki. "She needs to rest."

"It'll only take a few minutes."

She left the room leaving me with Meredith. I sat down in the chair near the bed and gently turned her head to face me so I could compel her when I was done.

"Meredith, tell me what happened."

"I don't remember," she croaked out. Right, she was hit on the head. Time to compel.

"I want you to remember what happened to you and I want you to tell me."

"I don't remember," she repeated. What the hell is going on?

Her answers were similar to the human. That's when it clicked. She was compelled not to remember just like he was compelled not to say anything. Despite my strength in compulsion, I unfortunately couldn't undo compulsion done by someone else. I needed to find a loophole.

"Tell me what happened after dinner."

"I was in my room studying for my history test."

"Was there anyone with you in your room?"

"Yes, they came into my room while I was studying."

Found the loophole. "Who was in your room?"

"I don't know."

And back to where we started. "Do you know this person?"

"Yes."

"What's their name?"

"I don't know."

"Was it a moroi or dhampir?"

"I don't know."

I heard Dr Olendzki about to enter the room. "Forget we had this conversation, if anyone asks why I spoke to you, tell them I wanted to know how you were doing."

"Rose I think it's time to leave, she needs to rest and so do you."

"Of course. Will she be okay?"

"She's going to be fine," she responded kindly. "Meredith just needs to sleep and the guardians outside will keep an eye on her."

I waved goodbye and left to return to my room. There was someone in her room but finding out who, was going to be hard. It could have been anyone. What I did know is that it wasn't the human in her room, it had to have been a moroi. Whoever they were compelled Meredith to forget what happened and they had to be strong enough to knock her out when she was fighting the person. The idea of a moroi working with a human who was working with a strigoi was strange. Why would a moroi help? If they wanted immortality all they had to do was drain the blood of a human. I returned to my room to find Abe sitting on the edge of my bed.

"I really need to start locking my door," I muttered. "Did he say anything useful?"

He stood up and straightened his suit out. I had no idea how he was comfortable wearing them all the time.

"No it was the same answers. He doesn't know or doesn't remember. Where were you?"

I placed my stake that I had taken with me on the shopping trip and the earpiece in my drawer.

"I went to see Meredith. She had similar answers because they were both compelled. I tried to find a loophole but I ran out of time. She said someone came into her room but she couldn't tell me anything about them."

"Must have been a moroi who compelled her."

"Exactly. We need to review this entire case from the beginning. Plus none of the other students' rooms were trashed like Meredith's. We're missing something here."

Abe started pacing around my small room.

"Only dhampir's are taken, strigoi are clearly behind this because they compelled the human to kidnap Meredith and possibly the other students who were taken from here. A moroi is working on the inside delivering the students to the human. Who's compelling the moroi?"

I took my hair out of the braid and ran my hands through it. "Maybe the moroi is doing this willingly. It's not common but it is possible."

"We should get some rest Rose. We can deal with this tomorrow after we've slept."

"Wait Adrian told me what Sydney found on Mason's jacket."

My words stopped Abe in his tracks. "What did she find?"

"Two sets of DNA, Mason Ashford's hair and a human girls blood."

Abe frowned. "It was Mason's jacket? I swear this assignment keeps getting more and more confusing."

I sat down on the bed. "Adrian thinks that he might even be a strigoi. Sydney couldn't find anything but I might be able to."

Abe focused his frown on me this time. "What are you planning?"

"I need to track down some strigoi in the area who might know what happened to Mason."

"It does sound like it could work, just be careful."

"I always am," I said as I yawned.

"Go to sleep Rose." He left my room and I debated on whether I should change my clothes or sleep in what I'm wearing. My exhaustion won over and I fell asleep in the same clothes I had worn to the mall.

"Come on, just pull some strings for me."

I was arguing with Abe about wanting to interrogate the human myself. He was fighting back.

"Rose, it's dangerous. That man has guardians on him 24/7 do you really want to risk being seen or heard?"

"Then tell Alberta that I want to speak to him alone, just the two of us. No guardians and they're not allowed to listen."

Abe held his hands up. "Fine, I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you, you go do that. I need to call Sydney and see what she found about the man."

"Missions make you bossy," he muttered under his breath but thanks to my super hearing I heard it.

I shot him a dirty look and he smirked at me in return before leaving. Pulling my phone out I called Sydney.

"Rose, it's good to hear from you." I really did miss her.

"Likewise. How are you doing?"

I could hear her shuffling papers around. "Busy as always but not as much as you. Anyway I did a search on the guy you wanted."

"And?"

"And, he doesn't exist."

I huffed impatiently. "Please elaborate."

"There's nothing on him, it's like he doesn't exist. All I could find is a birth certificate and judging by the year, he's 28 years old. Nothing else though, no work place, no social media, no phone number. Literally nothing."

"It's like the universe doesn't want me to solve this assignment," I said, sighing in frustration.

"You always figure out the missions Rose. This one will be no different, you'll be out of there in no time."

"Yeah I guess. Thanks for trying anyway Sydney."

"Happy to help," she replied in between yawning

"I'll talk to you later and hopefully I can finish up here so I can visit you and Adrian before my next mission."

I could imagine Sydney smiling. "Hopefully it'll be nice to see you, bye Rose."

We ended the call and I paced the room waiting for Abe to let me know when I could interrogate Callum. I waited ten minutes and decided I might as well visit Lissa while I wait. I found her in the hallways with Christian and Eddie.

"Oh Rose I'm glad you're here, I heard you were the one who found out that Meredith was taken."

I was never going to get use to how quickly gossip travelled around here.

"Uh yeah, but she's doing okay from what I saw yesterday."

"Is it true that a human tried to kidnap her?" Christian asked.

I wasn't sure how much I could tell them what I knew so I settled on acting as if I only knew a little bit.

"I think so, I don't know too much about what happened though."

Just then I saw Jesse, Ralf and their friends walk towards us. I was hoping they would walk past but they stopped right in front of us.

"Hey Rose, I heard you were almost kidnapped last night," started Jesse.

Ralf sneered at me. "And that you begged the human to take Meredith instead."

Seriously. That was the story they were going with?

"No one attempted to kidnap me you idiot, Meredith was already taken when I saw her room."

"Sure, good luck with getting anyone to believe your fake story."

They walked away laughing looking back at me while doing so.

I turned to the others. "People actually think that I let Meredith get kidnapped?"

Lissa looked at me sympathetically. "It's just a rumour Rose. You know how it can be, people just like to gossip whether or not what they're gossiping about is true."

Eddie put his arm around my shoulders. "Don't worry about them Rose, we know the truth and we know you wouldn't do something like that."

"He's right," agreed Christian. "They don't have anything better to do."

I felt touched that they were so quick to stand by me. They really were good people. My phone buzzed in my pocket letting me know that Abe was able to get my one-on-one time with Callum.

"Thanks guys, it's nice to have people who don't believe the worst in me. I have to go though, Abe wants to spend some time doing father-daughter bonding." I was a little uneasy lying to them but it's not like I could tell them where I was going.

They told me that they would meet me at dinner and I made my way over to guardian headquarters as discreetly as possible. There was no one else around and when I reached the interrogation room, I stepped inside and locked the door behind me. I slowly turned around to see Abe sitting across from the man and Callum glaring at the wall.

"Hello Callum," I said darkly, grabbing his attention. "You and I need to have a chat."

 **AN: Thank you to everyone who reviewed for the last chapter, I love reading what you think about the story. Remember to let me know who should find out Rose's secret first. And I'll try not to put too many cliffhangers into my stories haha. Chapter eleven should be up soon. Thank you for reading xo**


	11. I Know You

**AN: Thank you to everyone who reviewed for my last chapter! They literally make my day. And thanks to everyone who let me know who should find out Rose's secret first. There were so many comments and a lot of good opinions. I have figured out who will find out first and last and in whose point of view, now I just need to plan out how they find out haha. And I can't believe I've reached over 100 reviews! You guys are awesome! Anyway here's chapter eleven. Enjoy :)**

 **RPOV**

"Alright we get it, you don't know or don't remember. I'm getting sick of the same answer."

My patience was non-existent at this point. Finding loopholes in the compulsion already placed on him was becoming more and more tiresome. Getting him to answer my questions was also taking a lot of effort.

I had my head in my hands and Abe was getting ready to leave.

"Rose we're not going to get anything out of him. We should go."

Giving up was not something I did but the repetitive answers were doing my head in. I was about to get up from my seat when Callum spoke.

"I know you."

Lifting my head, I gave him a questioning look. "Excuse me?"

"I've seen you somewhere. You look like someone I've met before."

I turned to Abe. "Is he hallucinating? "

Abe rolled his eyes. "Rose he's not on anything."

"Where have you seen me?"

His frown deepened. "I'm trying to remember."

"For fuck's sake, I'm done. This guy's a dead end." I stood up from my seat and walked to the door, Abe on my heels.

"You're that woman's daughter."

My hand paused on the handle as I looked back at him. "What?"

"That red-headed woman, you're her daughter. You look just like her."

Janine, that's who he was talking about, Abe had frozen beside me making the same connection.

"How do you know my mother?" I asked dangerously.

"I don't. I've just seen her before and I remember seeing you with her."

"Were you watching us?"

"Yes," he answered simply.

Abe and I exchanged a look. "Why were you watching us?"

"I was ordered to."

"By who?"

"I don't know. I only know that it was important to be watching you."

I stepped forward to interrogate him further when Abe held me back.

"The guardian's will be back any minute Rose. We have to go."

"He probably knows who killed her." My voice was wavering. "Whoever told him to watch us must be the same person who killed her."

"Rose he doesn't know who compelled him. He's not going anywhere, we can come back but right now you need to leave before the guardians return."

He was right. I didn't want to leave though not when after months of searching for my mother's killer, there was a possibility that Callum knew who it was. I could hear the sound of footsteps in the distance getting closer and Abe and I left the headquarters.

"I promise we'll go back and question him further. We can try tomorrow first thing in the morning."

I nodded, unable to speak. I wasn't sure how to feel and I needed something to keep me occupied until then. Remembering that I had strigoi to hunt down for answers I parted with Abe and went back to my room to have Sydney tell me where the strigoi hotspot was in town. The rest of the day was a blur with Callum's words running through my mind. I tried to not to show it during dinner but I wasn't as successful as I thought I was when Eddie asked me if I was okay.

"You seemed distracted during dinner. Is everything okay?"

I forced a smile. "Of course, I'm just tired I guess and I'm feeling a bit homesick. I'll be fine though."

"You know you can talk to me Rose, I'm here." That was what I loved about Eddie; he didn't push me into anything.

"Thanks Eddie." I gave him a hug before returning to our rooms. Curfew was getting close and I had to get ready to go into town.

"Rose?" I spun around to see Dimitri. Being caught up in my thoughts was numbing my hearing.

"Hey comrade."

He walked closer to me. "I wanted to see how you were doing after what happened to Meredith."

I shrugged. "I'm fine, I'm just glad that she's safe. How are you doing? Did you get anything out of the human?"

He shook his head. "Nothing that could help us. It's been a stressful day."

I studied him closely and could tell he was exhausted and worn out.

"At least Meredith wasn't taken right? That's something."

"Yes, I suppose it is."

A comfortable silence fell between us and I was caught up in his eyes. The way he was looking at me was making me want to close the gap between us but I resisted. He seemed to have the same idea when he stepped closer to me stopping a few inches in front of me.

"Roza." His voice was thicker, sounding like he was trying to control himself. My feet were frozen to the ground, preventing me from closing those last few inches but I didn't move away either, liking how close we were.

Dimitri let out a breath and leaned back slightly. "Let me walk you back to your room. You're cutting it close to curfew."

Not trusting my voice I simply nodded and we walked towards my room. I had no idea what that was but it made me feel something that I had never felt before. No one had ever looked at me the way he did. I would have given anything to know what he was thinking right now. We reached my room and I looked at him.

"Good night Comrade."

"Sleep well Roza."

He turned on his heel and walked away. I watched him disappear around the corner and I entered my room, closed the door and leaned against it. I took in a deep breath and tried to push Dimitri to the back of my mind so I could focus on what I needed to do tonight. I stripped off my clothes and changed into a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved fitted top, my boots and a jacket. I didn't want to stand out and I needed something I could fight in comfortably.

I left my hair down, placed my stake in my boot and picked up the car keys off my desk and opened up my window. My room was pretty high up but I've jumped off higher roofs. I let go of the ledge and landed quietly on my feet. It was daylight so I had to make sure that the guardians wouldn't see me. Straightening up, I could see guardians on patrol along the borders. I leaned forward and ran as fast as I could breezing past the guardians and kept running through the woods until the car came into view. I slowed down and walked around to the driver's seat of the black SUV.

"Way to be subtle Abe," I muttered to myself.

This was probably going to make me stand out but I didn't feel like running into town. I started the car and drove my way out of the woods and reached the main road. The location of the strigoi hideout was already in the GPS. It was in the middle of nowhere, as usual. It was further away than the last hideout so I tried to formulate a plan. The sun would help me if I needed it. I had no idea how many strigoi would be in there; Sydney told me that there shouldn't be too many. I started driving faster, wanting to get this over with already. There was nothing but a straight road with fields of dead grass on either side.

It was definitely an area a strigoi would go and it wasn't too far from town if they needed a few humans to feed on. I would be more than happy to kill the strigoi that are in the house. I stopped the car far away enough so they couldn't see me or hear me arriving but close enough for me to run to it if I needed. The house was run-down something that strigoi apparently looked for in a hideout. It was a double-story house with weathered boards and the windows were blacked out. I walked up the old steps and stood on the porch. Smiling to myself I kicked the door down letting the sunlight spill through the doorway.

"Hello," I called out, stepping inside and pulling my stake out. "Anyone home?"

I heard a low growl and two strigoi appeared in front of me.

"Hi, I was hoping we could talk."

One of them leapt towards me. Talking was clearly out of the question.

His move showed me how uncoordinated he was, must have been a new strigoi. He left his chest open allowing me to easily slide my stake into his heart. The second strigoi was smarter, looking for an opening to take me down. I wasn't going to let him. I waited for him to make the first move and he did going straight for my neck but I was quicker and slashed my stake against his face. He stumbled back screaming from the contact of silver.

While he was distracted, I kicked him in the stomach making him fall onto the porch outside and his body fell to the ground, withering in pain as the sun burnt his skin. There were more strigoi, I could sense them creeping up behind me. I spun around, a woman coming closer.

"What do we have here? A dhampir just for us? Perfect timing too, I was getting hungry."

"And strigoi just for me. I was in the mood for killing."

She snarled at me and behind her were two more. They were the last ones in the house since I couldn't sense anymore. The woman tried to grab my neck but I slipped out of her grasp and moved towards the living room. The other two were standing back waiting for an opportunity to get a hit on me. I cut through the woman's shirt, the tip of the stake scraping across her collarbone. It made her falter and the other two made their move. These strigoi weren't as strong as an old strigoi that's for sure. I pushed one of them into the other and staked one of them.

Without stopping, I ran into the other one using my speed and collided with him as his back hit the wall. I pressed my arm against his neck applying as much pressure as I could, cutting off his airway and staked him. The red glow in his eyes dimmed as his body slid down to the floor. Pulling my stake out of his chest, I charged towards the woman grabbing her by the shirt and lifted her into the air before slamming her onto the table, back first, the table breaking from the impact. I straddled her body with my stake against her neck.

"What do you know about Mason Ashford?" I shouted, trying to stop her body from moving so much.

"I'm going to kill you."

"Do you know Mason Ashford?" I asked again, this time pressing the tip of the stake into her neck, breaking the skin.

She hissed in pain. "You're never getting him back."

"Where is he?"

Her body kept moving, trying to get me off her. This was useless; she wasn't going to tell me anything. She clawed at my hands, drawing blood and within a matter of seconds, the wound healed. Her body stiffened.

"What are you?" I could hear a hint of fear as her eyes widened.

I leaned in close. "I'm not a dhampir," I whispered.

My stake went straight through her heart and her body went limp. I pulled it out of her chest and stood up. There weren't anymore strigoi but I needed to look through the house. I pulled apart the couches and drawers, throwing the books off the bookshelves. I had no idea what I was looking for but there had to be something here. There was nothing downstairs so I went upstairs, rummaging through every bedroom and bathroom. There was nothing here. Feeling defeated I went back downstairs pulling out the small bottle filled with the dissolving liquid Sydney had given me. I poured it on each strigoi, their bodies dissolving and left the house. I got into my car and drove away back to the academy. I wished that something about this assignment would work in my favour. How in the world was I suppose to have this figured out when I kept hitting dead-ends?

* * *

I shut my window and flopped down onto my bed. Sleep is what I need right now. My phone buzzed in my pocket, I guess sleep would have to wait. I looked at the caller ID to see Abe's name.

"This better be important."

"He's dead Rose," said Abe, sounding distressed.

"Who's dead?"

"Callum, he killed himself a few moments ago."

I shot up from my bed. "What? How is that even possible? The guardians were supposed to be watching him."

"They were watching him. Callum started arguing with the guardians to let him go and he was trying to fight them. He managed to take a stake from a guardian and he staked himself. He was dead by the time they took him to the infirmary."

I groaned. "Unbelievable, we just lost the one thing that could have helped us find whoever is behind the kidnappings."

"I'm sorry Rose, this just makes things even harder."

I ran a hand through my hair. "He knew mum. He was watching us. We also just lost our chance of finding out who killed her," I said quietly.

Abe was silent before speaking. "I know but there will be other leads. We'll find out who did it Rose."

Closing my eyes, I tried to collect myself. "I didn't find anything at the hide-out. One strigoi said that I would never get Mason back meaning he still has to be alive."

"That's something. I wouldn't have the slightest clue on how to find him though."

"Me neither." Why did I ever agree to this assignment? "We'll have to rely on Meredith. I need to find out who was in her room. She knows the person and if we find them, it'll be a breakthrough."

"You might be able to get something out of her. A moroi's compulsion isn't as strong as strigoi's, it'll be easier to find a loophole."

"Have you updated Tatiana?"

"Yes I have. She wasn't too happy to hear of Callum's death."

I shook my head. "I guarantee there is nothing that could satisfy her. It makes me wonder how Adrian even puts up with her."

I grabbed my pyjamas and threw them onto the bed. "Did you know that they were related?"

"Of course. I'm Abe Mazur."

Show off.

 **AN: I hope you liked the chapter! Chapter twelve should be up over the weekend or maybe earlier if I have time. I also want to let you know that Tasha won't be making an appearance in this story. I prefer to just focus on Rose and Dimitri's relationship without other people getting involved, hope you don't mind. Thank you to everyone that reviews, favourites and/or follows this story. It means so much to me that people are enjoying this story. Thank you so much for reading xoxo**


	12. Adrian I've Missed You

**AN: Hello Friends! I've been getting a few suggestions on what I could do with this story and I'm liking them so far so don't be afraid to send me in something that you think would work great. I might even use it ;) Thank you to everyone who reviews, favourites and follows. I read every single review that is posted and it's great to see nice and supportive comments :) Anyway on with the story, enjoy!**

 **RPOV**

Dead ends. I hated them but they seemed attracted to me. Meredith was another dead-end. No matter how hard I had tried to find a loophole, nothing worked. All she could tell me was that someone was in her room and that she knew who they were. She just couldn't tell me anything about them. Abe and I couldn't even figure out why Meredith's room was trashed and why the other rooms weren't. Security had increased with extra guardians arriving at the academy to patrol the hallways when everyone else was asleep.

The academy was in lock down every single night and guardians, staff and even students were questioned. The week went by so quickly with every day being exactly like the last. I had reviewed the files of each student that was kidnapped over and over again until I had memorised the smallest detail about them and about the nights they were taken. Before I knew it, the day of the dance had arrived.

I was stressed, tired and homesick and despite being in love with the dress I had picked out, I wasn't really up for the dance. Lissa however was insistent on getting ready together and not wanting to burst her bubble of happiness I agreed. I ended up in Lissa's room since it was much bigger than mine, sitting in a chair while she did my hair and makeup.

"You know I always wanted a sister," mentioned Lissa. "Someone that I could share clothes with and gossip all night talking about boys."

"I guess Christian hasn't been satisfying you in that department huh?" I joked while laughing.

She joined in. "Definitely not. It's why I'm glad to have you Rose, I know we've only known each other for a couple of weeks, but you are the closest thing I have to a sister."

Adrian's speech of not getting attached flashed through my mind but I pushed it aside as I smiled at her.

"I'm happy to have you too Liss. I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have you when I moved here."

"Girls have to stick together. There, all done."

I looked at myself in the mirror and quietly gasped at my own reflection. Now I'm not arrogant but I had to admit that I looked beautiful. My long dark hair was styled in loose waves that cascaded down my back. My make up looked flawless and the red lipstick would look great with the black dress. Lissa had looked gorgeous as always, her hair styled up with crystal hairpins.

"Wow, thank you. You did an amazing job. We'll be turning heads all night."

"That was the plan, now we need to get dressed before Christian and Eddie come to get us."

I did as she said and put my dress and shoes on. Glancing in the mirror, I was more than satisfied with how I looked. The dress was black and long-sleeved that fell to the floor with a split along my right leg just up to the top of my thigh. It wasn't too high and was appropriate for a school dance. The top of the dress had lace detailing and although the neckline was slightly plunging the lace made the top part look fancy and elegant. Most importantly, the dress covered all of my back and with my hair down, there was no way anyone would see my tattoos.

"I would totally date you." I spun around to see Lissa beaming as she looked at me.

"Well I am single."

Lissa chuckled. "So you're not in a relationship?"

"Thinking of dumping Christian for me?" I asked winking at her.

She laughed harder. "I'm asking because I'm curious. Did you have anyone special in your life before you came here?"

My smile faded. "No, no one special."

"What about Eddie?"

I would've laughed if she hadn't looked so serious. "What? No, Eddie and I are just really close friends."

Besides, when I thought about someone special, he was tall, sexy and had a Russian accent. Not that I would mention that to Lissa or believe that it could ever happen. I did wonder what Dimitri would think of my dress. A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts and Lissa went to open it. Eddie and Christian stepped inside.

"Liss, you look beautiful." Christian was right, she really did. She blushed as Christian kissed her on the cheek.

Eddie walked up to me. "You look stunning Rose."

"Thank you. You look pretty good yourself." Lissa had no idea what she was talking about when she asked if Eddie could be that special someone. The way he was looking at me was the way someone looked at their friend. He was very good-looking, but there was no attraction between the two of us.

"Alright let's go. We should be fashionably late by now," I said.

We left Lissa's room and made our way to the hall where the dance was being held. I could hear the music and people laughing and talking and it made me feel a little excited. We reached the doors and that was when I saw someone that made my chest tighten. He was leaning against the wall, looking even more handsome than I had last seen him and dressed in a designer suit that would have cost a fortune. His styled hair was purposefully messy and his dark green eyes were fixated on me.

"Adrian," I breathed.

He gave me a crooked smile. "Hey little dhampir."

I forgot about the others and rushed over to Adrian. I launched myself into his waiting arms and he grabbed me, spinning me around before lowering me to my feet. My arms tightened around him, his head resting against my neck.

"Adrian I've missed you," I mumbled into his chest.

"I've missed you too Rose."

I pulled away slightly, his arms still around me. "I thought you couldn't make it."

"Did you really think I would pass up the chance to come visit you? I was going through withdrawal from not seeing my best friend and I told you we would be reunited again. Plus I wasn't going to miss seeing you look this sexy."

Nothing could make the smile on my face disappear. I couldn't believe that Adrian really was here. I knew I had missed him but I hadn't realised just how much until now.

"Ahem."

I pulled away from Adrian to see Lissa, Christian and Eddie staring at us. Right, we weren't alone.

"Guys this is my friend Adrian, Adrian these are my friends."

Lissa was the first to speak. "So you're the spirit user friend?"

He turned to me, lifting an eyebrow. "Spirit user friend? I thought I was more than thought Rose," he joked.

"You know you're more than that. Lissa here is a spirit user too."

Adrian looked towards her, his eyes narrowed and I knew he was looking at her aura.

"Ah, a gold aura, you really are a spirit user."

"How do you do that?" asked Lissa curiously.

"Come on, let's go inside and then we can discuss spirit," I said. We hadn't even walked inside yet. The doors opened and as a group we walked inside the beautifully decorated hall. It was the first night here that I had finally felt content. Adrian being here was exactly what I needed. I missed him so much.

* * *

 **DPOV**

In a sea of people, you would think it would be hard to find someone that you're looking for. That wasn't the case with Rose. I noticed her as soon as she walked in. My entire body froze and everything else disappeared. Never in my life had I seen someone as breathtakingly beautiful as Roza. Everything about her was perfection. Her dress showed off her amazing figure, her long hair flowed down to her waist making me want to run my fingers through it. Her smile lit up her face and her eyes sparkled with excitement and happiness.

I had never seen her like this before and I could have stared at her for the rest of the night without getting bored. Her eyes wondered around the room and finally landed on mine. I didn't look away, I didn't want to. Her smile grew and she nodded slightly. I tried. I really did but I couldn't hold back the smile that I returned. We gazed at each other for a few seconds longer than I would have looked at anyone before a man beside her said something to her.

I hadn't noticed him even though he had been standing next to her while I had been mesmerised by Rose. Jealously would have sparked in me if I hadn't quickly remembered that this must have been the boyfriend of her friend. Someone she had described as a brother. Recognition kicked in and I realised that it was Adrian Ivashkov. He was known to be a party boy and a womaniser but those rumours had died down a while ago when Adrian stopped living up to that reputation, apparently for a girl. I still hadn't taken my eyes off of her and I knew I had to stop staring. Dragging my eyes away, I watched the people on the dance floor wondering how I was going to spend the rest of the night staying away from Rose.

* * *

"Guardian Belikov, I'm here to relieve you."

I looked to my right to see Guardian Yuri. "Thank you."

Rose had left a few minutes ago with Abe and she hadn't returned. Adrian and Vasilisa were deep in conversation as were Christian and Eddie. I walked out of the hall and started making my way to the guardian dorms. I was about to turn the corner when I caught a glimpse of Rose opening the door to the balcony. There was no one else around, not even Abe so I continued walking down the hall until I reached the balcony. I opened the door and joined Rose. She turned to look at me, her expression giving away that she was deep in thought. Now that I was here, I didn't know what to say.

"Why aren't you at the dance?" I inquired.

Her hand went to her neck, clutching the necklace around her. "It was my mother's. Abe wanted to give it to me to wear it to the dance tonight. I felt like I needed to spend a minute in silence for her."

"I'm sorry to have disturbed you."

"No it's fine," she responded quickly and I was glad she said that. I didn't really want to leave. "Why aren't you at the dance?"

"My shift is over. I saw Adrian Ivashkov with you, was he the friend you were talking about?"

Her smile appeared, lighting up her face. "Yeah, he surprised me tonight, I thought he wouldn't be able to make it but he'll be staying for a while at the academy."

"At least you won't be feeling homesick."

She turned, her body facing me. "No I won't be."

The moment reminded me of what happened between us in the hallway. I felt like I was in a trance. All I could think about was Roza looking at me with her alluring eyes and I had the urge to kiss her. I stepped closer towards her. I lifted my hand and stroked her face lightly, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "You are so beautiful it hurts," I whispered in Russian, knowing she wouldn't be able to understand.

She was about to step closer to me when her head snapped towards the door and she pulled away from my touch.

"Adrian is looking for me."

I wasn't sure how she would know that but sure enough I could hear footsteps and someone calling her name out. I stepped away from her and placed my guardian mask on.

 _What was I doing?_

"I'll see you later Rose."

If she had heard the abrupt change in my voice she didn't mention it. Instead, Rose gave me a small smile before slipping through the doors. I stood there for a moment letting those last few seconds sink in. If she hadn't have heard Adrian I would have kissed her right then and there. I couldn't believe that I was going to let that happen. I ran my hand through my hair, frustrated at myself for losing control like that. She was my student, a minor and I'm suppose to keep things between us professional.

Taking in a deep breath I reminded myself that whatever I was feeling, it wasn't right. In fact I didn't feel anything for her.

 _You know that's not true._

I walked back inside through the empty hallways. Rose is my student. I am her teacher. There is nothing between us and there never will be. Even if there was something, we were both dhampir's prepared to live the rest of our lives as guardians meaning we didn't have the same privileges as a moroi. I kept repeating to myself that I felt nothing for her but I knew deep down that it was a lie. I felt something for Rose and a part of me liked it. I like my student more than I should. I'm falling for Rose.

 **AN: Ahh! Adrian is finally at the academy! There will be more scenes between the two in later chapters. I know not a lot happened but this is mostly a filler chapter. The next one will have more happening. Unfortunately putting a link on my profile or on this chapter of Rose's dress doesn't work, if you know a way to make it work, please let me know. Chapter Thirteen is already written, just need to edit a few things and it'll be up soon. I have a lot of assignments coming up for uni and exams are not that far away. I'm going to try and write as much as I can during my days off so I'll have chapters that I can upload when I am busy. Thank you for reading xoxo**


	13. Christian, He's Not Interested

**AN: Writing this chapter took so much time! I literally had to rewrite just about everything because I had to change a part of the story but it's fine now. I know Dimitri isn't in this chapter but he will be in the next one. Thank you to everyone who has been reading my story and letting me know that they like it :) Anyway, Enjoy!**

 **RPOV**

I remembered every single detail of that moment with Dimitri. The way he was looking at and how he touched my face, it made my heart skip several beats. If I hadn't heard Adrian calling for me I was pretty sure Dimitri would have kissed me and I would have let him. I had a hard time concentrating on what was going on around me but all I could think about was the moment we had. A part of me was glad that Adrian had interrupted because there was no way I could get close to Dimitri. There were so many reasons why it could never happen and yet all I could think about was what it would feel like to kiss him. Adrian was eyeing me the whole time and I tried to be more aware of where I was but it wasn't easy, I was caught up in my own thoughts.

"Little dhampir, dance with me?"

It was obvious that Adrian was trying to get me alone so he could question me. The others were distracted anyway so I took his hand as he led me to the dance floor. He placed his hands on my back, mine around his neck.

"You aura is showing colours that I have never seen on you," he pointed out.

I shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "What were you really doing out on the balcony? And don't tell me you needed a minute alone."

I bit my lip, unsure of whether I wanted to tell him.

"I was with someone."

Adrian had an unreadable expression. "Who?"

"Just someone," I said avoiding his eyes.

"Rose, how serious is this?" I couldn't tell what he was thinking I just knew that it wasn't all that good.

"It's not serious. Nothing happened." We had stopped dancing by then and we were standing there on the dance floor, our arms still around each other. "You don't have anything to worry about. It's nothing."

"It's not nothing. Do you care about them?"

I blushed. "Can we please just drop it? You're only here for a while and I want to spend as much time with you. I don't want to argue about some guy."

Dimitri was far from being 'some guy' but I didn't want to confirm to Adrian that there was chance that it was more than just a crush.

Adrian sighed. "I don't want to fight either little dhampir. We can talk about it some other time."

I knew I would be doing everything I could to avoid that conversation ever coming up again.

"Adrian, I'm not a dhampir. You have to stop calling me that," I said, changing the subject.

He smirked. "I know but I can't call you little draugr, it'll raise suspicion to anyone who overhears. Besides it doesn't have the same ring to it."

I shook my head, smiling. "I'm glad you're here Adrian."

"Me too."

The doors opened, Alberta and Abe walking inside. Alberta rushed over to the guardians standing against the wall wearing a worried expression. Abe looked at me and tapped his ear. He wanted me to listen.

"Rose, can you hear me?" he asked muttering quietly, his lips barely moving.

I nodded once.

"I can't walk over to you right now without Alberta seeing, but we have an emergency. Meredith was just kidnapped."

My body froze and I could see Adrian looking between the two of us. My hands dropped from his shoulders.

"How?" I mouthed to Abe.

"Meredith was alone in the infirmary with Dr. Olendzki who was knocked out. No one can find Meredith. Alberta is trying to get the guardians here to keep every student inside the hall while other guardians are searching the grounds. I need you to try and find her."

I turned to Adrian. "A student was just kidnapped. I need to try and find her. Cover for me."

"Of course." I slipped into the crowd and made my way outside through the back door knowing no one would notice me. I needed to get back before anyone notices I'm gone but for now I had to find Meredith, again. I had to rely on my speed to find her quicker and then return to the dance. Running in heels didn't hurt thankfully I had gotten use to it while on other missions. I tried to listen out for anything that would give away Meredith's location but there seemed to be nothing. It was silent in the woods, it was quiet outside and all I could hear was what was going on at the dance. I couldn't sense anyone outside of the academy. How could I let this happen? I let another student get kidnapped.

I should have made sure Meredith had enough protection but I hadn't done that. I just assumed she would be okay without even realising that whoever was working on the inside could get to her. I let out a scream of frustration. There was nothing here. There is never anything to help me figure this out. I ran back to the hall and slipped back inside. Everyone seemed to be oblivious to what was going on however the guardians were tense, prepared for anything. I went over to a table, poured two drinks and walked back to where the others were.

"Rose where were you?" asked Lissa.

I held up the drinks in my hand and gave one to Adrian. "Just went to get drinks, it was a long line."

She believed me. I sat down beside Adrian and I didn't have to say anything to let him know that I wasn't feeling as happy as I was before. He shot me a sympathetic smile and squeezed my hand under the table. He leaned closer to me.

"It'll be okay Rose," he murmured. "You'll catch the bastard."

* * *

Last night was a long night. I had to pretend like I was having fun and everything was okay but it really wasn't. Adrian and I were in Abe's room as he informed us about what had happened last night.

"Tell me everything and don't leave anything out," I said.

"They aren't certain that this is exactly what happened but it seemed to be the only theory that makes sense. The two guardians that were supposed to be there, protecting Meredith were compelled to leave. When they were questioned, they both said that they were asked to leave because Alberta told them to. Alberta is claiming that she never said that. The guardians' answers were similar to Callum's and Meredith's. They didn't know who had compelled them and they couldn't remember anything, just that they had to leave."

He poured two glasses of scotch and gave one to Adrian. Despite Adrian limiting his alcohol and smoking, I knew it had been a while since he had a drink. Anyone could tell with the desperate look in his eyes as Abe gave him the glass of scotch.

"When Dr Olendzki woke up after being knocked out, she said that she didn't see who had hit her. Whoever it was had snuck up behind her and while she was passed out, Meredith was taken."

I stood up and started pacing. "Whoever this moroi is has strength in compulsion. They most likely knocked Dr Olendzki out since she's a moroi too and would have resisted the compulsion easier than the guardians. This person came back for Meredith. She had to be important if she was still a target."

"What's so special about dhampir's?" Adrian asked and then looked up, realising what he had blurted out. "I didn't mean it like that, just why not moroi? Strigoi prefer their blood over dhampir's."

"We haven't been able to figure that out yet," I responded. "First Carter Andrews and now Meredith. That's two people who have been kidnapped since I've been here."

"Rose you can't blame yourself. It would have happened whether or not you were here," Abe replied trying to comfort me.

"By being here I was suppose to prevent that from happening. Great now I'm sounding like Queen Bitch."

I glanced at Adrian. "No offense."

"None taken." He finished the last of his drink. "Guardians are out there looking for Meredith and trying to retrace the steps that the kidnapper could have taken. All we can do right now is wait to see if they come back with anything."

He was right. I hated sitting around waiting for news. All I wanted was answers or something that would point me in the right direction.

"Come on little dhampir, we have to meet the others."

I looked at the time and sure enough, it was time to meet up with them. It was mostly for Adrian and Lissa so they could discuss spirit.

"It's good to have you here Adrian," Abe said, patting him on the back.

We left Abe's room when my phone started ringing. Sydney was calling me.

"She might have some information about the mission."

"Do you want to talk to her?" I asked. I know it must have been hard for the both of them to be away from each other.

He smiled. "No it's fine. I'll visit her in her dreams."

"Alright, you go ahead. I'll catch up with you later."

Adrian spun on his heel making his way to Lissa's room as I answered Sydney's call.

"What's up Sydney?"

"Rose, how are you doing? Have you talked to Adrian?"

"I'm great and yeah he surprised me last night at the dance," I responded while sitting down on a bench. "I can't believe he made me think he couldn't make it."

She laughed. "It was my idea actually, thought it would be a nice surprise."

"It was. I wish you could be here too Sydney."

It was quiet on her end for a moment. "I know Rose but it won't be that long until we see each other again. At least for now you have Adrian to help you out and keep you company."

"You're right, anyway why'd you call? Do you have something to help me with the mission?"

"It's actually not about the mission, it's about you."

I frowned. "Me?"

"Yeah, I was reading up on the history of draugr's and I found something that I think you would want to know about."

"What is it?"

She hesitated before answering. "What happened to the one before you Rose? I know that he's dead but do you mind telling me the details?"

I grimaced thinking about it. "He was my great grandfather-Alastair Hathaway-he killed himself around the time when I was born, making me the next draugr. He compelled someone to kill him but I never knew why. No one really did. Why are you asking?"

"You know I've been studying up on draugr's and I know that being one means you're immortal but do you know how Alastair could have been killed?"

I froze. I didn't know why telling someone how to kill me made me feel uncomfortable even if it was Sydney.

"Rose are you still there?"

"Uh yeah. There is a way for me to be killed but it can only be done through a specific way."

"Rose," she sounded wary. "How long have you known how you could be killed?"

"A while. I just didn't feel like sharing it with anyone you know? It's dangerous information if it were to ever fall into the wrong hands. I thought it would be better if I kept it to myself."

I could imagine Sydney frowning. "How did you find out? I've researched all the draugr's that have ever existed and every single one of them had taken their own lives, which doesn't make any sense. Why would they do that?"

I was wondering the same thing. "I found out from the first draugr to exist, it was thousands of years ago so I'm not sure if it's completely true."

"A draugr is the most powerful creature in existence, why in the world would they want to die?"

My heart started racing as a thought came to mind. "Do you…do you think that will happen to me?"

"Of course not." Despite her efforts, I could hear the worry in her voice. "There has to be a reason and I'll try and find out Rose, I promise. I'm sorry for dropping this on you, you already have enough to worry about."

Shaking my head I stood up. "No don't be. I'm glad you told me, there's clearly a lot that I still don't know about myself. Let me know when you find something okay?"

"Absolutely. I have to go but we'll talk soon."

"Bye Sydney." I hung up and slumped against the wall. The mission was already stressing me out and now I had to worry about my death. Sydney was right to question why any draugr would want to die. I had bad days and sometimes it would take me to dark places but nothing it didn't make me want to die. I hoped that Sydney would find something to answer all the unknown questions.

Abe would probably want to know but I needed to know everything first before I could tell him. Taking a deep breath, I pushed it to the back of my mind and went to join the others. I reached Lissa's room and walked right in to see Adrian and Lissa talking, Christian on the bed looking annoyed and Eddie nowhere to be found. I joined Christian.

"Where's Eddie?"

"He left a while ago. Said he would rather do homework than stand around watching Lissa and Adrian talk," he responded without taking his eyes of the two.

I nudged him, making him look at me. "What's with all the glaring?"

"I don't like how close those two are."

Glancing over at Lissa and Adrian, I studied them. They looked like regular people talking. "They're both spirit users, they're just excited to be meeting one another."

"Sure, you believe that Rose but he's not fooling me."

I rolled my eyes. "Christian, he's not interested. Adrian already has a girlfriend who he loves."

He looked at me. "Huh. I thought you two were a lot closer than you were letting on. Not surprised with the way you were excited to see him last night. Mind telling your guy to back off my girlfriend?"

This boy was confusing me. "What? No, not me Christian. I'm not dating him he's dating one of my friends. Now stop being jealous Lissa loves you and Adrian is taken."

Ignoring me, he went back to focusing on the two. I understood why Eddie had left.

"I'm going to go find Eddie. Are you coming or do you want to stay here and torture yourself?"

"Sure Rose."

He wasn't even listening. I left Lissa's room and went on my search to find Eddie. Of course, I couldn't do that without being stopped by two morons.

"Hey Rose." Jesse and Ralf stood in front of me, blocking my way.

"I saw you at the dance last night," flirted Jesse, stepping closer. "You looked sexy as hell."

"I'm not in the mood," I growled. "Move I have somewhere to be."

Ralf smirked. "You can't keep fighting us Rose. We know you want us."

I shot them a dirty look and pushed past them, adding a little more force than necessary. I took pleasure in watching them stumble slightly. Eddie's room came into view and I knocked on his door. He answered a few seconds later.

"Oh hey Rose, what are you doing here?"

"I didn't feel like watching Christian glare at Lissa and Adrian. Mind if I join you?"

He smiled. "Sure, come on in."

I stepped inside and sat on the chair at his desk. Eddie was a great guy and an even better friend. An idea came to me and I only felt slightly guilty using him for information. I wanted to know about the kidnapping he went through from his perspective. There had to be something that he knew that maybe Lissa didn't. I had to take advantage of our friendship.

 **AN: I hope you liked the chapter! Chapter fourteen will be up in a few days. I am going to be busy for the next couple of weeks but I do have two pre-written chapters to upload that need to be edited. I'll try not to wait too long to upload. Thank you for reading xoxo**


	14. Eddie You Have Me

**AN: Hello Everyone! So I've gotten some people saying that they don't think anything has really progressed between Rose and Dimitri and I have others saying that they're happy that they're taking it slow and not jumping into anything because it's more realistic haha. There are different opinions and I respect them all, just wanted to let you know that over the next two or three chapters there will be progression, I promise. I did want to take Romitri's relationship slow and not jump into anything for a lot of reasons, but without giving too much away I have a few ideas planned so don't worry you'll get what you want. Anyway, thank you to everyone who reviewed on my last chapter, seeing the reviews never gets old :) Anyway, on with the story, enjoy!  
**

 **RPOV**

We had been talking for a little while and I still hadn't gotten around to asking Eddie what I really wanted to. It was quiet between us and I knew that this was my chance to bring it up.

"Eddie, how are you doing?" I asked, joining him on the bed.

He looked at me confused. "I'm fine, why?"

"No I mean, how are you really doing? I might be stepping over a line here but I know that when Mason died, you were affected the most."

Eddie's face darkened and sadness was evident in his eyes. He didn't say anything and I knew that there was no way he was going to open up to me unless I showed him that he could trust me. There was only one way I could get him to tell me. I had to open up to him first.

"I know what it's like to lose someone you love."

He wasn't looking me but he turned his head a little towards me.

"I lost my mum a few months ago. She was killed by strigoi and I was the one who found her."

I swallowed heavily convincing myself not to get worked up. Eddie looked at me this time so I continued.

"I blame myself for what happened to her. I just kept thinking that if I had been there for her she would still be alive. Finding her dead body tore me apart. I felt like everything inside of me shattered and I didn't think I would ever be okay again."

My voice was heavy with emotion and Eddie had moved closer to me, placing his hand on mine.

"When it kicked in that she was dead the pain that I felt was unbearable. It was as if someone was gripping my heart so tight to the point it was hurting. Losing her was the worst moment of my life."

I closed my eyes and tried to breathe evenly. Silence fell between us and I hoped that by putting myself out there, he would do the same.

"Mason wouldn't be dead if I had done what I had been trained to do," he whispered.

Opening my eyes, I turned to him holding his hand for comfort.

"He was the reason why Lissa and I were able to escape but I couldn't believe it when I was told that Mason was gone."

"Lissa told me that the strigoi fed from you," I said gently. "A bite like that isn't easy to fight through."

"It doesn't matter, I should have been stronger. I should have fought harder and maybe Mason would still be here with us."

I squeezed his hand, feeling guilty about where I was taking this.

"There were a lot of strigoi Eddie, you couldn't have taken them all on by yourself especially without a weapon."

He glared at the ground and the anger in him built up when I felt his hand tighten around mine. "I can still see Mason fighting off that strigoi. Anyone could see that Mason wasn't going to take him down."

 _Here goes nothing. You need answers Rose._ "How many were there?"

"There were six of them."

That's a lot of strigoi working together. They usually didn't work in groups since they fought for dominance.

"Did any of the strigoi look familiar to you? Maybe they could have been someone that you knew and that's why they took you." I paused. "It happens sometimes," I added hastily, hoping he couldn't see through me.

He shook his head. "No I had no idea who they were. I don't even know their names except one of them when I heard his name being called by one of the other strigoi. His name was Isaiah, he seemed to be the leader."

Isaiah. Finally something that could help me. I had never heard of him but he shouldn't be too hard to find.

"How do you get through something like that Rose? How do you move on when someone close to you dies?"

I could see him pleading for a way out of the pain. If only it were that easy. Instead of answering him, I pulled him into a hug. His arms gripped me tightly and I empathised with him. Sometimes you just need the physical touch of someone to keep you together. I had gone straight to Adrian and Sydney when I had lost my mother. I knew that Eddie must not have had someone for him. Lissa had Christian and Eddie had kept all of it to himself. The guilt settled in and I couldn't help but feel ashamed at using him for answers. I had gotten something but I had exploited Eddie's kidnapping trauma to get what I wanted. Resting my head on his shoulder I promised myself that I would never do something like this to Eddie again. He deserved better.

We both pulled away. "Thanks for being here Rose."

I gave him a small smile. "Anytime, you don't have to go through anything on your own. Eddie you have me and I'll be here for you."

He returned the smile and I stood up. "I better let you get back to your homework. I'll see you at dinner."

He walked to the door and opened it for me. "Of course, I'll see you then."

I stepped outside but he grabbed my wrist, pulling me back. "Just so you know, I'm here for you too Rose."

I smiled at him. "Thanks Eddie."

The door shut behind me and I wondered if I would ever see him again after this mission was over.

* * *

"So have I exceeded your expectations of being a damn good student?"

I was back to training in the morning with Dimitri and despite enjoying his company and seeing him almost every day, these sessions weren't really doing anything for me.

"You have shown that you have a lot of skill," he said monotonously.

"Oh come on Comrade. I'm pretty amazing aren't I?"

Dimitri lifted an eyebrow at me but I could tell he was proud of how well I was doing during our training. "Yes Rose you have been doing great and you will be an amazing guardian one day."

I tried not to let my smile fall when he said those words. Sometimes he would talk about me being a guardian and graduating and it would be a reality check for me that being here was only for work. I wouldn't be graduating and I most definitely would not become a guardian.

"Dimitri why are you a guardian?"

He looked at me, my question throwing him off. "It was what I was born to be. Moroi come first and we as dhampir's have the responsibility of protecting them. It's about them and their safety."

His answer was what I expected. "What about what you want?"

"It doesn't matter what I want."

I had to admire his dedication. "You're a person too, you shouldn't throw away what you want for others. What you want does matter."

"Moroi come first Rose. They are the priority not our needs."

Being who I am sometimes reminded me of how lucky I was that I didn't live the normal life of a guardian. As the Dark One my purpose in life was something I felt proud of. I was able to kill strigoi and save the lives of others and at the same time, I was my own person. I wasn't governed by any rules that I had to follow even if I didn't want to. I didn't have to put aside what I wanted because I decided everything for myself. Dimitri didn't have that. No guardian had what I had and that made me pity them.

"You have spent your entire life preparing to die for moroi. You don't even belong to yourself Dimitri, you belong to them. Don't you want more? Don't you want something in life that is meaningful?"

He didn't say anything, he just stared at me with his guardian mask in place. I could see that my words were clearly affecting him.

"Dhampir's who train to become guardians do not have the luxury to live their lives as they want."

"And that doesn't bother you?"

"Like I said before, what I feel doesn't matter," he replied as his voice hardened.

"Is that what you're going to tell your children? That what they feel doesn't matter because the moroi come first?"

My words hit him hard. Emotions flashed in his eyes and I couldn't seem to make any of them out. I had hit a nerve.

"Training is over for today. I'll see you tomorrow." He was about to leave but I stopped him.

"Wait, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you."

He stopped walking but he still hadn't turned around.

"It's just, how can you accept a life where you're unsure of when you're going to die for someone who might not even appreciate your sacrifice?"

Dimitri turned around but didn't walk any closer to me.

"I'm assigned to Vasilisa and while some royals take their guardians for granted, I know she wouldn't."

I had to agree with him on that one. "She wouldn't but how do you know that you'll die protecting her and not someone else? I'm not trying to disrespect what you do as a guardian and I know that's what it sounds like but dhampir's deserve more."

He sighed. "I know Rose. Every dhampir knows that but that's just how it works. We are the protectors and the moroi are an important race."

I stayed quiet and could feel his eyes on me.

"Is that what you're worried about?" he asked me. "Are you worried about dying for someone who doesn't appreciate you?"

"No." None of this applied to me but he didn't know that. "Most of the dhampir students won't survive a year after graduation. Look at Mason, he spent his whole life thinking the way you do and he wasted seventeen years of his life thinking it belonged to someone else and now he's dead. He's gone and he didn't get to live his life like a normal teenager. No dhampir student does."

Dimitri stared at me intensely while I continued. "If I ever have children, I wouldn't want them to live that kind of life. I wouldn't want my children preparing to have their lives taken from them."

I could feel anger building up in me and I didn't know where it came from. Maybe it was the burning passion I felt when it came to the inequality between dhampir's and moroi.

Dimitri walked over to me. "It's unfair but it's something we have to accept. You are here as a novice training to be a guardian. When you become a guardian, you will put a moroi's life before your own and protect them at all costs."

I shook my head slowly. "Everything you are telling me right now is what children are being taught. How can we as dhampir's let that happen?"

"Because guardians generally don't have children. The ones that do, ensure that their children understand the duty of a guardian," he stated simply.

"You don't want children?" He seemed like a fatherly type who would love to have a family. Especially when he told me that he was an uncle. Dimitri didn't answer my question.

"I'll see you tomorrow Rose."

With that he left the gym before I could say anything. I decided to leave as well so I could take a shower before breakfast. I wasn't sure if Dimitri was angry with me or not and honestly I don't think I would want to know. What I had said was the truth but in reality it was easy for me to call out all the flaws because I didn't live the way guardians do. They either have the choice to be a guardian or be shunned by the moroi society if they run off.

Their lives were decided for them the day they were born. It made me grateful that Abe and Janine had chosen to raise me themselves instead of sending me off to an academy, not that they could with me being what I am. Still, I was lucky enough to live freely. I was constantly being the Dark One but at least when I was, I still travelled, experienced things for the first time and met people that were good people. Like Eddie, Lissa, Christian and Dimitri. If it weren't for my missions I never would have met Sydney and Adrian.

I should be thankful for what I have. I might be stressed and overwhelmed but I was lucky. Speaking of being stressed, I really needed a shower to calm me down and clear my mind for the day. I reached my room and stripped my clothes off. My shower took a little longer than usual but I needed it. When I finished, I blow dried my hair and changed before leaving to go meet the others for breakfast. When I wasn't too far from the cafeteria, my phone buzzed in my pocket and a quick check let me know that Abe wanted me to meet him. I reluctantly turned around and went to his room.

"Do you have food?" I asked as soon as I walked in.

Abe pointed to the small kitchen area and I made my way over. "Why'd you want to meet so early?"

"I have something important to tell you." There was nothing in the kitchen except for a fruit bowl. I picked up an apple, it was better than nothing.

"What is it?"

"Queen Tatiana arrived at the academy this morning."

I almost dropped my apple. "What? Why?"

Abe straightened his tie in the mirror. "I'm not sure but she's going to want to talk to you."

"Do you think if I fake a heart attack she'll leave me alone?"

"I highly doubt it."

I hadn't spoken to Tatiana since the last time I had yelled at her. If she was here to get an apology from me it wasn't going to happen.

"Does Adrian know?"

"Yes, he'll be here in a moment." As soon as Abe said that there was a knock on the door. I went to answer it and sure enough Adrian walked in looking like he stepped out of a fashion magazine. His idea of a casual outfit was my idea of getting dressed up.

"Adrian, you know Tatiana better than anyone. How do I get her to leave me alone?"

"Good morning to you too Rose."

He walked past me and made himself comfortable on the couch.

"And she won't leave you alone, you're the Dark One. She's going to want to keep an eye on you now that she knows who you are."

I joined Adrian on the couch. "The last thing I want to deal with is her going off at me with all the mistakes I've made."

"We'll be here Rose," said Abe. "Besides, we don't really know why she's here, let's just see what happens. She'll be coming over any moment now."

Turned out to be twenty minutes until she made an appearance. I had been contemplating on leaving to get some food but I guess that would have to wait. The three of us stood up as she walked in, her guardians remaining outside.

She smiled at Adrian. "I'm so happy to see you."

Adrian stepped forward and embraced her. Seeing Tatiana showing affection was foreign to me. I didn't know someone like her was capable of having emotions. Her eyes shifted to me and her smile disappeared. I bowed my head slightly out of respect but that was all she was going to get. She didn't seem to mind as she walked over to a chair and sat down. The three of us sat back down and I waited for her to speak.

"Two students have gone missing since you've been here Rosemarie."

Apparently we were getting right into it.

"I expected more from you. There have been a numerous amount of stories of your successes and yet you haven't been living up to them with this assignment."

I balled my hand into fists. "Do I need to repeat everything that I said last time?"

"Not at all." Her eyes narrowed. "I remember everything quite clearly."

"What are you doing here? If you're here to give me a speech on how disappointing I am then you're wasting your time."

"I am here to tell you that you now have a deadline. You have two weeks to figure out who is behind the kidnappings and if you don't then I want you gone."

I shot up from my seat. "You expect me to have this solved in two weeks? At least give me a realistic deadline."

She clearly didn't appreciate my outburst. "I expected you to have sorted it out by now. You're taking a lot longer than necessary and I don't want to have to deal with another student being taken."

Abe spoke up, standing next to me. "Rose is the only person who can help. Without her, the guardians here can only do so much. She's not the one to blame here the academy is at fault here too. Rose did not create this problem she is trying to fix it."

At least Abe believed in me. I was glad that he was standing up for me. Adrian joined in.

"He's right. Rose has been working hard. She'll have this figured out Aunt, she always does."

Apparently Adrian was the only person who Tatiana would listen to.

"Fine, I'll give you a little longer but I will expect you to leave if you haven't gotten any closer to ending this mission."

"I will solve it," I responded harshly.

She left the room with Adrian since he wanted to speak with her. "Thanks for standing up for me."

"What kind of father would I be if I didn't? You should go, I know you're hungry."

I parted with Abe and hurried to the cafeteria. I wasn't feeling the best and all I wanted was food. That always solved everything.

 **AN: Does anyone else just love Eddie? He's my favourite character and he just seems so perfect. I swear I need an Eddie in my life! I'm sorry if the chapter isn't that great, I did do it in a rush :/ I'm really excited for the next chapter because I enjoyed writing it and hopefully you guys like it. It'll be up in about two days. Thank you for reading xoxo**


	15. Sydney I Don't Want to Die

**AN: Hey Everyone! Thank you so much for everyone who reviews, favourites and follows my story! And thank you to everyone who reviewed, some of you have really great ideas and are getting close to guessing who is behind the kidnappings. You'll learn a lot about the history of Draugr's in this chapter and the ones before Rose. I think this was my favourite chapter to write and probably the longest time I have spent on a chapter. Here's chapter fifteen, enjoy!  
**

 **RPOV**

"I really don't want to go into town again. Can't you bring them to me?"

"You want me to bring strigoi to you? Really?"

I was on the phone with Sydney discussing a potential strigoi hideout where I could find out whoever this Isaiah person was. Also so I could vent to Sydney about how much of a bitch Tatiana is since Sydney didn't like her either. When Tatiana had found out Adrian was with Sydney, she was beyond pissed and demanded Adrian get rid of her. Of course he didn't and Tatiana has had to deal with it. Dealing with it meant never seeing Sydney in person and Sydney didn't mind one bit.

"Sneaking out of the academy and driving into town is getting kind of old."

"There's no other way to do it. I know you get bored easily and you like to change up the way you hunt strigoi but your options are limited while you're at the academy."

"I know, just send me the address of the place."

"Already done."

She was efficient, I had to give her that. "Hey did you find anything else about the Draugr's?"

"Yeah I did." The change in her voice indicated that it wasn't good.

"Well?"

"I literally went through every Draugr that has existed and I finally found out what made them want to kill themselves."

There was a pause. "Well don't leave me hanging."

"Right, it was the darkness that made them do it."

"Darkness? What does that do to them?" I asked while I lay down on my bed.

"A Draugr's purpose in life is to eliminate as many strigoi as possible to protect the moroi, dhampir's and humans from harm. It was why they and well you, were given the abilities you have and why your kind was created. In order to kill strigoi you were given strength, speed, heightened senses and immortality."

"I know that but how does darkness fit into this?"

I could hear her flipping through pages. "I'm getting there. Draugr's may be given something that no one else has and by having these abilities, it comes with consequences. The more kills you make, the more your soul darkens. Your kind has been connected to strigoi since the beginning Rose. When strigoi were made, Draugr's had to exist because you are born to protect and sacrifice yourself for others."

I sat up in bed and straightened up. "Sacrifice myself?"

"It's why you exist Rose, you were created as a protector and when your time comes to an end, your child will take your place, just like you did with Alastair," she explained, the discomfort in her voice evident.

"Go back to the darkness. You're saying that it killed the Draugr's before me?"

"They killed hundreds of thousands of Strigoi and when you do, you release the person who was a strigoi of the dark spirit that is within them and take it upon yourself. The Draugr's before you were alive for a long period of time meaning they killed thousands of strigoi. They absorbed so much darkness to the point of being driven to insanity. They compelled others to kill them."

"How do I not do that? How do I stop it?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"You can't Rose," she said gently. "It's inevitable. It's a part of who you are, it's the connection you have to strigoi and there is nothing you can do to break that bond."

This was too much to handle. I am immortal and yet the day I started killing strigoi was technically the day I started to die slowly. It explained the random outbursts of rage that I had been experiencing. The darkness was starting to consume me. Everything Sydney had told me reminded me of what I had questioned Dimitri about.

It was obvious that I disagreed with the life guardians were required to live when really my purpose in life was no different. I would eventually have to sacrifice myself for others and they wouldn't even know it. I felt like an idiot. I was just like them. There was hardly a difference between being a Draugr and being a guardian.

"Rose? How can you be killed?"

I wanted to answer but I just couldn't get the words out.

"I'm sorry," she apologised quickly. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No it's fine. I trust you but please promise me you won't tell anyone. I can tell Adrian and Abe myself."

"Of course, you have my word."

I took in a deep breath and told her. "I have to be decapitated, my body burned and my ashes dumped in the sea to make sure I am truly dead."

Sydney grew silent and if I didn't hear her breathing I would have thought she had hung up.

"The past Draugr's compelled other people to do that to them and they couldn't have resisted the compulsion."

I nodded my head even though she couldn't see it. "It's what happened to the first Draugr. His name was Luthais and he was killed because he was seen as a demon. You know how it was back in those days. People were suspicious of anything that was different and he was murdered. Those people went to great lengths to make sure he couldn't come back."

"He's your ancestor right?"

"Yeah. My mother is from a long line of Draugr's. Alastair was one and he was alive when my mother was born and there can only be one. When he died it past down to me because I was next in line. It was why she was a dhampir and I wasn't because he died when I was born. I will have to pass it down to my child, that is if I die when they are born or my grandchild depending on how long I live."

"Rose we have to know more about your kind. That was all I could find for now but we need to try and find someway to prevent the darkness from overpowering you. I know I said there wasn't a way, but we have to try and find something to help you."

I didn't even want to think about what could happen to me.

"Sydney, I don't want to die. It's too soon," I whispered.

"You won't. Adrian, Abe and I will not let that happen okay?"

Despite her words, I had a hard time believing them. "Thanks Sydney. I should go."

"Of course, I'll let you know when I find out more. And Rose, everything will be okay. You'll be fine."

 _If only that were true._

We ended the call and I made no move to get up. I was still processing everything and honestly, I didn't really know how to feel about it. Instead, of staying in my room for the rest of the night, I changed into my workout clothes and went down to the gym. If I was going to feel sorry for myself, I might as well do it while punching something. Obviously no one else was there so I had the whole place to myself. Curfew was only an hour away but I didn't care. I just needed to clear my mind first. I wrapped my hands in bandages and took all my frustration out on the punching bag.

It was my form of therapy. All the stress from the mission, all the anger I had towards Tatiana, the guilt I felt when I was with Eddie, Christian and Lissa and the unnecessary feelings I had towards Dimitri were all coming out. Nothing else mattered around me, only the contact my fists were making with the punching bag, hit after hit. I didn't know how long I had been going at it until I sensed someone behind me. I immediately slowed my punches down so they wouldn't see just how hard I was punching and came to a stop.

Breathing heavily, I turned around to see Dimitri standing at the door, staring at me blankly.

"What can I do for you Comrade?" I asked as I tightened the bandages around my hands that had come loose.

"What are you doing here Rose? You need to stop cutting it close to curfew."

"I felt like punching something."

I offered no other explanation and when he didn't say anything I looked up at him.

"Are you just going to stand there and watch me?"

He walked closer to me making me strain my neck a little to meet his eyes.

"What are you really doing here? People don't feel like punching something unless they're frustrated."

I pushed my hair out of my face. "People don't feel like talking when they're frustrated."

"I guess I'll just wait here until you have let your anger out and you're ready to talk."

He gracefully sat down in one of the chairs against the wall making himself comfortable.

"You're wasting your time. I'm not going to talk."

"I'm a patient person," he said.

Anyone else and I would have punched them and yelled at them to leave me alone. I knew I wasn't going to get rid of him unless I told him what was bothering me. I couldn't tell him everything but there was something that I couldn't get out of my head.

"I've been thinking about everything I said to you this morning and I realised that I didn't want my purpose in life to be meaningless."

He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "Rose when guardians die, they die protecting what they believe in. It isn't meaningless because they die with honour. They are doing what they believe is right and the sacrifice they make is worth it."

Sacrifice. It was what I would have to do for everyone I would have to sacrifice myself. But did I want that?

"How do you know that it's worth it?" I asked.

"It's worth it because we die fighting against evil to protect the innocent. Several guardians have killed strigoi and despite thinking about how they were good people before turning strigoi, we know that what we did was right. We helped set their souls free and we helped the innocent people who were in danger. Knowing that we have done that is worth living our lives as guardians."

I stared at the wall behind him trying to piece my thoughts together.

"I can't help anyone if I'm dead," I murmured more to myself. "I can't die because if I do, then who will protect everyone else?"

Dimitri frowned at the words I had spoken. "You can't save everyone."

He stood up and came to stand in front of me. "You're a strong fighter Roza and you have more skills than some guardians. I know without a doubt that you can handle a fight against strigoi, that's how good you are."

"Everyone dies," I said, my voice quiet. "I am going to die one day and that scares me."

For so long I had believed that I was immortal and that nothing could kill me. When I had found out how Luthais had been killed it worried me but no one other than myself knew. Now knowing that the darkness I take from the kills I make could drive me to my death ran chills down my spine.

Dimitri's eyes softened and he placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Yes everyone does die but that isn't something you need to be thinking about. I know that as guardians all we do is think about how little time we may have but we need to focus on the fact that we are alive."

I lifted my head to meet his gaze as he continued.

"You should be enjoying that you're alive and taking advantage of it. Live your life before the responsibilities of being a guardian take over."

It made me wonder how much time I had left. Did I only have years? Do I have enough time to live my life and have a family at the same time? Killing strigoi was speeding up the process of the darkness pushing me over the edge. I now understood why Draugr's were called The Dark One. Our souls were filled with darkness.

"I thought it didn't matter what I wanted."

He still hadn't removed his hand from my shoulder, not that I wanted him too.

"That's what I thought but you were right when you said that what we want should matter. Our lives may belong to others but right now, your life is yours Roza which is why you should do what you want while you still have the chance."

"What do you want that you can't have?" I asked, not taking my eyes off of him.

His intense gaze was making me feel heated. Instead of answering, he lifted his hand from my shoulder to lightly stroke his fingers across my cheek. It was just like the moment we had on the balcony at the dance. My breath hitched at his touch and without even realising it, we were standing closer and he lowered his head towards me.

He moved his hand to tilt my head up and his lips were only a breath away. I brushed my lips against his and I saw the desire in his eyes. A part of me knew that I shouldn't be doing this but I couldn't seem to tear myself away. I wanted this. I wanted him.

Our lips met and it was wonderful, like nothing I had ever experienced. It started off slow and gentle. What made my heart soar was when he pulled me closer to him, his hand around my waist and the other tangled in my hair. My arms went around his neck pulling him closer and the kiss was filled with passion and heat. It was euphoric.

I had kissed quite a few men while on my missions in an attempt to seduce them for information but it didn't mean anything. Kissing Dimitri was different, it was better and for a moment, it made me forget who I was. It made me feel like everything was going to be okay. I moved one of my hands to rest on his cheek when he abruptly pulled away taking several steps away from me.

I suddenly felt empty without his touch and my heart was beating rapidly. We stared at each other for a moment and I wanted to know what he was thinking. First he was kissing me and now he looked shocked at what he had done.

Slowly, the realisation of what had happened settled in and I took a step back, breaking eye contact with Dimitri.

"That can never happen again," I whispered.

"Not it can't and it never will." Dimitri's guardian mask was back in place. "You need to get back to your room."

I spun on my heel and walked out of the gym as fast as I could until I reached my room, practically running to it. I shut my door behind me and leaned against it my head in my hands. I couldn't believe I had just kissed Dimitri. How could I let that happen?

"Oh god, what is wrong with me?"

I knew I felt something for him but I never thought I would give into it. It was a mistake. It should never have happened and yet I couldn't help but think how amazing that kiss was.

 _No I can't think like that._

Adrian was right. I was getting too attached and that needed to stop right now. Dimitri and I are never going to happen because once I'm out of here I will never see him again. It could never work. He was my mentor, I'm a Draugr and my death was already planned out for me.

I needed to push away any feelings I have for him. I had to remind myself of something that Adrian had told me when I went on my first mission. It was important that I repeated it to myself over and over again. I couldn't allow myself to forget it. _Don't get attached._

 **AN: Rose and Dimitri kissed! I had actually written the scene of their first kiss back in chapter 12 when they were on the balcony at the dance but it didn't feel right so I deleted the entire scene. I'm glad that I did because it fit better in this chapter. I hope you liked it! Anyway, chapter sixteen will be up a little later than usual since I haven't finished writing it yet. I'll try not to take too long. Thank you for reading xoxo**


	16. Avery Lazar

**AN: I'm sorry I haven't uploaded as often as I usually do :/ I had a lot of assignments to get through and now I can finally focus more on writing. I wish I could have read the reviews on the previous chapter but unfortunately just like with everyone else, it's just not showing :( Hopefully it is fixed soon because I'm really excited to read them. Thank you to everyone who did review, follow and favourite! Anyway, I know this is a short chapter but I'll try and make the next one longer. Enjoy!**

 **RPOV**

I had been cancelling my sessions with Dimitri. How was I suppose to act around him after what had happened? He didn't seem to mind though since I hadn't heard anything from him. It's been two days since I've seen him and I know that eventually I was going to have to see and talk to him again. I was dreading it. I had also been avoiding Adrian because I didn't want him suspecting anything from my aura.

After ignoring him for a day he visited my dreams and it went better than I had expected. He didn't pick up on anything. Either he was pretending everything was fine or I was getting really good at hiding my feelings from him. I was in Lissa's room, we decided to hang out and study after class and I was in desperate need to talk to someone about Dimitri. Obviously I couldn't tell her who it was but it's not like I had to mention his name.

"Lissa?" I asked hesitantly.

"Mm?"

I couldn't believe I was saying this. "I need boy advice."

Her head shot up and she smiled brightly. "Oh my god, who is it?"

It was hard not to smile at her enthusiasm. "I can't say. It's complicated and we're not together or anything."

She frowned. "Oh. Did he lead you on?"

"Uh, not exactly. We kissed the other day and it was amazing but he pulled away and when he did I realised how stupid it was to kiss him."

"Why would it be stupid?" We had both forgotten about our books by now.

"We're not supposed to be together." How could I explain it to her without letting her know that it was Dimitri. "He's…unavailable."

I sat up and wrapped my arms around my legs. "I've been avoiding him and now I don't know how I'm suppose to act around him. We have to see each other every day and after the kiss, it's going to be awkward."

Lissa nodded along, trying to take everything in. "Do you want to be with him?"

I bit my lip, unsure on how to answer. "I don't know. Nothing could really happen between us anyway."

"Cause he's unavailable?"

"Exactly."

"I don't really know what that means," said Lissa. "Is he already in another relationship?"

"No." Maybe I shouldn't have said anything to her. "We're not supposed to be together because of who we are."

"You mean he's a royal moroi?"

 _Sure let's go with that._ "Yes."

"Rose you shouldn't let something like that stop the two of you from being together. If you like each other then you should go for it."

Her answer reminded me that Lissa was a hopeless romantic. "It's not that easy. There are a lot of things that are in the way and besides, after I'm out of here it's not like we'll ever see each other again."

She shrugged. "I still think you should try. Don't let something like graduation get in the way. We're young, we should be having fun and that means taking risks."

Could I be with Dimitri and then leave after the mission is over? The answer was no. I didn't want to 'have fun.' I wanted something more than just casual dating, I wanted a relationship with someone who loves me, a relationship that is passionate and consumes me.

I would eventually have to be with someone in order to pass the Draugr gene on but it couldn't be with Dimitri. It had to be a moroi or human and like he had mentioned before, guardians generally didn't have children. Besides, he probably didn't feel that way about me.

"I don't think he wants to be with me Liss."

"What are you talking about?"

I sighed, remembering what had happened. "He was the one who pulled away."

Lissa smirked. "Rose, if he kissed you then that means he likes you. It means he wants to be with you."

"You can kiss someone and not want to be with them," I replied dryly.

"Maybe he does want to be with you but whatever is holding you back is what's holding him back."

Huh. I knew exactly why I had said it could never happen again but I never thought about why he had agreed. There were the obvious reasons, he was older and my mentor. My reasons for holding back were a lot bigger. I wonder how Dimitri would react if he were to ever find out who I am.

"It doesn't matter Liss. He and I are never going to be together. It wouldn't work out for a lot of reasons."

The best thing for me to do was to forget about the kiss and treat Dimitri like any other teacher. It won't be long until I leave and move onto the next assignment. He'll become a distant memory.

"But I thought you liked him." Clearly, Lissa wasn't giving up.

"It doesn't matter," I repeated. "Have you done question eighteen? I'm stuck on it."

I thought Lissa might argue but instead she handed me her notes and she didn't bring it up again.

* * *

 **DPOV**

If someone had told me years ago that one day I would kiss one of my students and enjoy it, I would have thought they were crazy. It was stupid of me to lose control like that. I had never lost control until Rose came along and that frustrated me. She had cancelled our sessions and I was relieved because I needed time away from her to get myself together.

Eventually we would have to continue with training and I wanted to make sure that when we do, I would have my emotions in check. I kept convincing myself that I only kissed her because I was caught up in the moment and it didn't mean anything. I knew that wasn't true. I was surprised when she had kissed me back, but when I had broken the kiss she was the one who said that it couldn't happen again. It made me wonder why.

 _Don't think about it Dimitri. Be glad she said that._

Even though the last two sessions had been cancelled, I still went to the gym in the morning to get a workout in. What I didn't expect was for Rose to show up today. I figured she wouldn't show up for a few more days.

"Oh good you're here, mind if we start training again?"

Looking at her, it seemed like she wanted to forget that night and move on. I decided to go along with her and not bring up the kiss.

"Not at all, you go do your laps while I set up in here," I said.

She jogged outside and started on her laps. This was going to be harder than I had thought. After what had happened, it was like I was seeing Rose in a different light. Seeing her reminded me of the kiss and how it felt to run my hands through her hair with her body pressed against mine.

 _Stop it. She's your student._

Shaking my head, I laid out the mats for us to spar and sat down on the ground to read my western novel while she finished. The book wasn't doing anything to distract me from Rose. Every time I would close my eyes, I would see her and think about the feeling of her lips on mine.

I can't believe that I, Dimitri Belikov, have allowed a seventeen-year old girl to have this kind of effect on me. As usual, she completed her laps and came back inside, waiting for me to give her instructions. I closed my book and stood up.

"We're going to be sparring today."

And that was what we did for the next forty-five minutes. The only time we talked was when I had something to say on how to correct one of her moves. There was uncomfortable silence between us and I didn't like it, although Rose didn't seem to mind. When our time was up, I was debating on whether or not I should bring it up.

"Rose," I called out, stopping her from leaving the gym. She looked over her shoulder at me.

"I need to talk to you."

Judging by the look on her face, she knew exactly what I was going to say.

"About what happened the other night-" I started.

She held her hand up, cutting me off. "Dimitri. Let's just forget it happened okay?"

Her words stunned me. Why was I having such a hard time trying to leave it alone? Why couldn't I just be like her and forget about the kiss? _Because you like her._

Ignoring the voice in my head I said, "Okay. I just wanted to make sure that we're both on the same page here. Something like that can never happen again and I trust that you won't be telling anyone about it."

Good. I was finally remaining professional.

Rose offered me a small smile. "Of course. I'll see you later Dimitri."

She left the gym and I followed, wanting to take a shower before I started the day. _Dimitri._ I was no longer Comrade. I had hated the ridiculous nickname she had given me at first but I had grown to like it. What was I thinking? I should be thankful that she wanted to move on and I should be doing the same. I had to move on.

After taking a long shower, I pulled out the files of the students who had gone missing and looked over the case information for the hundredth time. After Callum had taken his own life and Meredith was taken again I had been more confused than ever.

Alberta had told me that the Dark One was having just as much trouble. Deciding that I needed more information I went to pay Alberta a visit. Luckily for me, she was in her office.

"Guardian Belikov, what can I do for you?"

"I was hoping you might have more information about the students' disappearance," I said as I sat down in one of the chairs.

She grimaced. "I'm afraid not. Abe has told me that there still isn't anything new. There are theories but none of them get us anywhere."

I tried not to let the disappointment show but Alberta had seen it.

"They're trying Belikov, we all are but without any solid leads there isn't anything to help us right now."

"I know. It's just…."

An idea came to my mind and despite knowing that there was a high chance that it wasn't going to work. I was still holding out hope.

"I want to talk to the Dark One."

Alberta was surprised by my request. "I don't think that would be possible."

"Abe will only tell us what he is told to say, how do we know that he isn't holding something back?"

He was known as Zmey back in Russia and because of his reputation, I did not trust him one bit. I was pretty sure he wouldn't be too impressed if he ever found out that I had kissed his daughter. _Really Dimitri, we're back there again?_

I pushed that thought away as Alberta spoke.

"And how do you know that they will tell you what you want to hear? I'm sure that Abe won't let us get anywhere near the Dark One."

"Ask him anyway. It's worth a shot."

She looked doubtful but agreed to go with my odd request. Pulling on her jacket, she stood up.

"I'm sorry to cut this short but I have to meet with a new student that will be starting here."

Standing up from my seat, I followed her out of the office. "I'm surprised they would even want to be here. Surely everyone has heard about the missing students."

Alberta nodded. "You and me both but I can't reject a royal moroi."

"Who is the student?" I asked.

"Avery Lazar."

 **AN: I hope you liked the chapter. Like I mentioned before, I will make the next one longer. I feel like this wasn't my best chapter so I definitely want to make the next ones a whole lot better. Anyway, Avery just arrived at the academy. I wonder if she will cause any trouble ;) Next chapter will be up in about two days. Thank you for reading xoxo**


	17. Why Do You Have Zvezda Marks?

**AN: Hello Friends! Thank you to everyone who reviewed on my last chapter, I truly appreciate it. I was finally able to read them! And thank you for the favourites and follows. I'm sorry again for the last chapter being rushed and not all that good because I felt like my heart wasn't really in it, you know. Hopefully you'll think this one is better. I was so grateful that I was able to read my reviews again that I wanted to upload sooner haha. Anyway, make sure you read until the end ;) Enjoy!**

 **RPOV**

"Why would anyone want to come here? We're literally the most unsafe academy right now."

I was sitting in the cafeteria with the others, including Adrian and word had gone around that there was a new royal moroi student starting here.

"Probably because moroi's aren't the ones being kidnapped," I answered Christian.

"Maybe we should go see her," suggested Lissa. "She probably doesn't know anyone."

Christian lifted his eyebrows. "Why? She could just be like all the other royals."

Lissa nudged him lightly. "It's called being nice."

The two went on talking about what the new student could be like. Ignoring them, I turned to Adrian.

"I thought you would be having breakfast with your oh so wonderful great aunt," I said sarcastically.

Adrian looked amused. "She left for Court last night. I figured you would be happy."

"Why would you be happy?" asked Eddie.

"The Queen doesn't like me very much. It's how she is with dhampir's but especially me."

"What did you do to her?" teased Eddie.

I faked a hurt expression. "Why do you assume that I did anything?"

"Because it's so like you to piss people off Rose," Christian piped in.

Balling up my napkin, I threw it at Christian making the others laugh. He glared at me but I could see he was holding back a smile.

"Come on, let's go meet this new student."

I internally groaned at Lissa's excitement. No one objected though knowing that she wasn't going to let it go until we had at least seen the student. Leaving the cafeteria, we walked towards administration where they were most likely to be. Sure enough, Alberta was standing next to someone who looked like a moroi girl. Even with her back to me I could tell she was a moroi with her tall slender figure. Alberta caught sight of us and smiled.

"I'm glad you could be here. This is Avery Lazar, I was hoping someone could show her around."

The girl turned around and smiled shyly. She was beautiful with her long brown hair and blue-grey eyes. Despite Christian's concerns of her being like the other royals, she looked nice enough. Her eyes drifted over us until they landed on me. She stared at me for a few seconds longer than the others before her gaze went to Adrian.

Immediately I could tell that she found him attractive like most girls did. Looking at Adrian, I could see he wasn't the least bit interested. In fact, he looked bored probably wondering how soon he could leave so he could talk to Sydney. Lissa stepped forward and smiled, instantly making Avery feel at ease.

"Hi I'm Lissa, this is Christian, Eddie, Rose and Adrian. We can show you around if you would like."

I was actually hoping to leave so I wouldn't have to walk around the academy and pretend to be nice. I was sure Avery was a great person but I wasn't all that interested in getting to know her.

"I would like that," she said. "That is if you don't mind, I don't want to bother you or anything."

Yeah definitely not like the other royals. I caught Lissa shooting Christian a smug look to which he rolled his eyes at.

"As much as I would love to stay, I have something I need to do," he announced.

"Me too," Adrian agreed quickly. "I have to go."

Without another word, the two left, leaving Avery with Lissa, Eddie and myself. I knew Eddie wanted to join Adrian and Christian, but he was too polite to say anything.

"Great, thank you for doing this." Alberta turned to Avery. "If you need anything, don't be afraid to ask."

Avery thanked her and we walked down the hall. While Lissa and Avery chatted away I fell into step with Eddie as we followed behind them.

"How are you doing?" I asked quietly. We hadn't talked since the last time we had opened up to each other.

He smiled at me reassuringly. "I'm fine Rose. You don't have to worry about me."

Not wanting to bring up anything upsetting I changed the subject and asked, " How about we go to the gym later and spar or something?"

Eddie's face brightened. "That would be awesome, I have yet to see how your trainings with Belikov have turned out."

I remained impassive at the mention of Dimitri's name. "If you ask him, I know that he'll tell you all about how damn good of a fighter I am."

We set a time and he excused himself. I knew that I would have to leave soon to find the place in town where there was a possibility Isaiah was hiding out.

"Hey Rose."

I snapped out of my reverie when Avery addressed me. "Yes?"

"You and Adrian look cute together. How long have you two been dating?"

I held back a sigh. Why did everyone think I was dating him?

"We're not dating."

"Oh?" I could see the hope in her eyes. Hope that I was about to crush.

"Yeah, he's dating one of my friends. She's the one that he's in love with."

I didn't know what it was but I felt the urge to make sure Avery knew that Adrian wasn't available. Sydney would be proud.

"Oh." And just like that the hope vanished. Lissa and I shared a look, both knowing that Avery was attracted to Adrian. I took that as my chance to leave.

"Anyway, I have to go but I'll see you guys at dinner. It was nice meeting you Avery."

"You too."

Pulling out my phone, I dialled Abe's number. He picked up on the first ring.

"I'm going into town again, Sydney found another strigoi hideout. Do me a favour and have me excused from classes?"

"Consider it done."

"Thanks, I'll update you when I'm on my way back."

I ended the call when I reached my room. It was night for humans meaning that it wasn't the best time to go strigoi hunting because I didn't have the sun to help me out. Still, I had a better chance at finding strigoi at this time. I changed into all black clothing and took my stake with me.

Just like last time, I crawled out of my window and ran straight into the woods, avoiding any guardians until I reached the black SUV. I had no idea how Abe managed to get it out here without anyone seeing.

I learnt that it was better not to question how he managed to get things done. Starting up the engine, I pulled up the address on the GPS and followed the directions. It was much further away than the other places.

Instead of an old abandoned house or building, it was a cosy cabin surrounded by trees. If it was privacy that they were aiming for, it worked. I stopped the car a few feet away behind some trees and approached the cabin carefully.

My senses told me there were only about three of them in there. Instead of going through the front door, I went around the back and found one of the doors unlocked. Quietly opening it, I slipped through, pulling my stake out and walked slowly until I stepped into the living room, all three of them already there.

One of the floorboards creaked under my boot and all of them snapped their heads towards me. I really needed to work on my stealth. I was losing my touch.

"Which one of you is Isaiah?"

They hissed at me in response and ran towards me. "Fine, we'll do it your way."

I grabbed the first one by the neck and slammed them against the wall, shoving my stake straight through their heart. The second one moved fast and wrapped one of their arms around my neck, dragging me to the floor. He was lying on top of me, baring his fangs as they got closer to my neck.

I growled and drove my stake into his stomach. He howled in pain, giving me room to push him off of me. I leaned over and pushed my stake into him hard. The third strigoi was making their move towards me so as quickly as I could I pulled the stake out of the dead strigoi and stood up.

My speed caught him off guard. "You're the Dark One aren't you?"

I was well known among the strigoi. So many had seen my real face but each of them had been killed by my hand.

"Well aren't you a smart one?"

He shot me a cold smile. "I'm going to enjoy drinking every last drop of your blood."

"Like you would ever get close enough to," I shot back.

He launched himself at me but with my speed, I ducked away from his grasp and we fought. He was strong and very persistent. As much as I enjoyed fighting strigoi, I only came here for answers. Using my strength, I grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground tightening my grip.

"Do you know Isaiah?"

He was struggling to breathe so I loosened my grip slightly, just enough so he could talk.

"Why do you care about him?"

"Do you know him?" I demanded.

"So what if I do?" he challenged.

The anger in me flared and I felt rage pulse through my veins. I lowered him so his feet touched the ground but I made no move to let go of him. Instead, I dragged my stake across his chest leaving a deep scar. He cried out in pain and even though it hurt now, he would heal quickly.

"Tell Isaiah that the Dark One is looking for him."

Dropping him to the ground, I left him there as he gasped for air. I left the cabin and drove away fast so he couldn't catch up to me. I have never left a strigoi alive but he had to be in order to send my message to Isaiah. I knew that he would. A message from the Dark One was not something anyone would ignore.

A quick glance at the time let me know that I had only taken about two hours. While I was driving, surpassing the speed limits, I wondered if I should even tell Abe that I had let a strigoi go. A strigoi that knew what I looked like. He wouldn't be too impressed so I made up my mind that it was better not to tell him.

I arrived back at the academy in record time and my third class was about to start soon which was guardian training. Despite being tempted to crawl back into bed and fall asleep, I resisted and changed my clothes. I probably should have checked myself in the mirror but I couldn't if I wanted to make it on time.

"Rose." I looked up to see Eddie waving me over. Stan was at the front of the class trying to get everyone to quiet down.

"Did you run here?"

"Something like that," I answered breathlessly.

Stan gave us orders to pair up and while I went to get the mats for Eddie and myself, I realised that Dimitri was also in the room like some of the other guardians. We locked gazes before his eyes flickered down to my neck. He frowned and strode over to me.

"Roza are you okay?"

Now it was my turn to frown. "Of course, why do you ask?"

He reached his hand out and I stopped breathing for a moment. Obviously I knew that he wouldn't try and kiss me but having him in such close proximity always threw me off. In a good way. He brushed my hair away from the side of my neck and lightly left his hand there.

"Is that blood?"

"What?" I touched my neck and when I pulled my hand back, I saw the faintest hint of blood. It was hardly noticeable but apparently Dimitri had a good eye. It wasn't my blood though.

"I ran to class, I must have hit something along the way. I need to go clean up."

Dammit. I knew I should have looked in the mirror before I had left. Dimitri didn't look convinced but I highly doubted he would guess what I had really been up to.

When I reached the bathroom, I ran a paper towel under some water and wiped off the blood. I checked to make sure that there wasn't anything else and returned to join Eddie, avoiding Dimitri's hard stare. Thankfully, Eddie didn't notice my absence when I returned with the mats.

The rest of the class felt uncomfortable with trying to focus on holding back on my strength and speed, especially with Dimitri watching me the entire time. Being here was seriously messing with my mind. It was like I couldn't seem to concentrate as well as I did on my other missions. I blame it all on Dimitri and his insanely god-like looks.

When class was over, I left in a hurry not wanting to be confronted by Dimitri again and went to my next class. It was like that for the rest of the day. Class. Bell. Class. Bell. Finally, it was after dinner and Eddie and I wanted to hit the gym so we could practice sparring. Well he wanted to but I was only doing it so it could help with Eddie to get his mind off of everything he had been through.

"I have one rule for you," I said.

"Name it."

"Don't hold back." I crouching down. He mimicked my move and we circled each other.

Novices were trained to be the best guardians out there but Eddie took me by surprise. He was focused and skilled and I knew that one day he would be one of the most amazing guardians out there. Still, I managed to pin him down a couple of times and I could see that he was getting frustrated with himself. We started over again and this time, I held back even more.

"Come on Eddie, I know you can pin me down."

His whole demeanour changed. It was like Eddie wasn't there anymore but instead his mind was somewhere else. I immediately knew that he wasn't seeing me. He was seeing the strigoi who had kidnapped him.

He threw a punch at me using a lot more force than he had before. I deflected it but that didn't stop him. He kept throwing punches and even a few kicks. He was losing control and I had to stop him.

"Eddie, you need to stop." He wasn't listening.

His eyes had darkened and he was putting a lot of strength into his hits. This wasn't like him at all.

"Eddie, stop." He ignored my comment, only focusing on getting a hit on me.

"I said stop!" I shouted. My voice echoed throughout the gym. He slowed down and I took several steps back, waiting for him to come back to reality. It took him a few seconds before he was aware that I wasn't the enemy here.

"Rose," he whispered as the realisation kicked in. "I'm so sorry. I didn't meant to-"

He stopped talking and ran his hands through his hair with a distraught look on his face. He had lost control. It was what I went through last time with my talk with Tatiana.

"It's okay, you're okay. Just take a few deep breaths," I coached him calmly.

He did as I said and even though he was breathing evenly, I could tell he was still worked up. I felt helpless. I wasn't sure if I should keep my distance or comfort him. Deciding it was better to stay where I was, I watched him collect himself and waited patiently.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that."

Approaching him cautiously, I placed my hand on his shoulder. "It's fine. I went through the same thing with my mum but sometimes fighting it out doesn't make what happened go away."

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "I know but I don't know how to control my emotions."

"It's not about controlling them Eddie," I spoke softly. "It's about accepting how you feel, understanding your emotions and knowing that even though what you feel is suffocating, there is nothing wrong with feeling the way you do. It's okay to be angry and upset but not to the point where it's the only emotions you feel."

He looked up at me and when he did I pulled him into a hug. I could feel his heart beating rapidly and his breath was slightly ragged. The hug was brief but he needed it. I stepped away and placed my hand on his arm.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. It takes time."

He gave me a small smile. "Thanks Rose. If it's okay with you, I think it would be best if we called it a night."

"No problem."

I turned around to get my jacket and as I did, I forgot one of the most important things. I pulled my hair away from my sweaty neck. I wasn't thinking. In that moment I had forgotten the consequences of exposing my neck. For a moment I forgot that it was a secret. I hadn't paid attention that I wasn't alone and Eddie was with me. I didn't think about what I was doing.

"Rose." His voice was barely a whisper. "Why do you have Zvezda marks on your neck?"

My entire body froze. _No._

 **AN: And Eddie is going to be the first to find out! Some of you wanted Dimitri to find out first but I thought Eddie should because I love his relationship with Rose. Plus as some people mentioned, it would help Eddie take his mind off of what happened to him. I would love to hear whether you would prefer Christian or Lissa to find out next. I haven't decided yet but I'm sort of leaning towards Christian. If you would like, let me know what you think. Chapter 18 should be up in about two or three days. Thank you so much for reading xoxo**


	18. He Knows

**AN: Hey hey! I know I haven't uploaded as early as I usually do and I'm so sorry. Please don't kill me! To make up for it, this will be a longer chapter. I have read all the reviews in regards to who should find out next and there seem to be an almost equal amount of votes for different characters. So I have decided that I'm just going to surprise you! I'm excited that most of you were happy that Eddie was the first to find out but there were a few of you who were expecting Dimitri instead. I know that no matter who I choose I'm not going to be able to satisfy everyone so I hope no one is too upset by the choice I make. Moving on, thank you for all the reviews, favourites and follows :) Here's chapter eighteen. Enjoy!**

 **RPOV**

"Rose?"

I couldn't believe it. My secret was out. After everything that I have done to make sure no one would ever know, I had done something so stupid. I had lifted my freaking hair so Eddie could see my marks. How could I have been so careless? My heart was beating way too fast, my breathing was heavy and I was beginning to hyperventilate. Eddie was still staring at me, looking confused, suspicious and impatient.

"Rose, answer me."

What the hell was I suppose to do? I can't tell him the truth, how was I supposed to explain this?

"Eddie," I whispered. "Please don't freak out."

His eyes narrowed. "You have a lot Zvezda marks on your neck, more than any guardian I have seen."

If only he knew about the ones down my back.

"I can explain, please just hear me out."

"Then explain." He crossed his arms over his chest and stared me down.

Only a few seconds ago he was the one losing control and now I was. Quickly, I racked my brain for some explanation but honestly; there was no lie that could cover up the truth. I looked at Eddie and thought about what it would feel like to lose his friendship. Maybe I could trust him with the truth. _Don't be stupid Rose._

"I…I can't," I said finally. "I'm sorry but I can't tell you."

Eddie didn't look too pleased with my response. Within a few short strides, he was standing in front of me and grabbed my wrist.

"Tell me." His face was blank but I could see a desperate look in his eyes. He didn't know what to think of what he had seen. Maybe he was thinking about how I was the only person he trusted and yet I hadn't been honest with him.

"You can't lie your way out of this Rose. Just tell me the truth."

I pulled my hand from his grasp and started backing away towards the door.

"Please don't tell anyone," I whispered desperately. And with that, I raced out of the door using my speed not even caring that Eddie would see that too. I kept running until I reached Adrian's room. I had no intention of coming here but it made sense. Whenever I needed someone, it was always Adrian. Without bothering to knock on the door, I rushed into his room causing him to jump up from his couch.

"Rose, what happened? What's going on?"

That's all it took for me to lose it. I threw myself at Adrian and immediately his arms went around me.

"I screwed up Adrian. I did something horrible," I mumbled into his chest.

"Shh, it's okay little dhampir whatever it is we'll figure it out. Now tell me what happened?"

Pulling away, I brushed my hair out of my face and stared at the ground, looking anywhere but at him.

"He knows."

"What are you talking about?"

"Eddie knows about me." This time I looked at him and I breathed deeply to hold myself together. Adrian's expression shifted to surprise, then worry and then confusion.

"How?" And then it changed to anger. "Did you tell him? You better not have said anything."

"No of course not, I swear I didn't say anything. I accidentally lifted my hair up and he saw the tattoos on my neck," I said hurriedly. My words did nothing to lessen his anger.

"Are you serious? How could you forget something like that Rose?"

"I just forgot," I shot back. "He doesn't know what I am, he only saw the tattoos that's it."

He ran his hands in his hair and started pacing the floor, muttering to himself before he came to a stop, his eyes widening.

"Compel him."

"What?" I asked dumbly.

"Compel him to forget what he saw. That will fix everything and once you have, you need to distance yourself from him because you are getting way too close to these "friends" of yours."

Compel Eddie. That would solve everything. But could I do that? Of course not. After I had taken advantage of his vulnerability last time, there was no way I would do anything like that again. Eddie is my friend and I refuse to use compulsion on one of my friends.

"No."

"What do you mean no?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "No, I am not going to compel him and I'm not going to stop being friends with him either."

He looked perplexed. "What is wrong with you? Do you want him to tell everyone about you? Do you want everyone to know your secret? No one will take you seriously if they know that you are the Dark One."

That pissed me off. "Why? Because I'm a girl? Because one look at me and you see that I could never be someone like the Dark One?"

Adrian looked even angrier than before. "You know that's not what I meant. Sure people believe you exist but without a face to put to the name, they have no choice but to respect you. As soon as they find out that Rose Hathaway is the Dark One all respect for you will be gone. Not because you're a girl but they'll know exactly who they're up against and they won't hesitate in trying to get rid of you."

He was right but I wasn't going to admit it.

"I trust Eddie." Adrian scoffed at my comment. Ignoring him, I continued, "He won't tell anyone because he isn't that kind of person. I'll talk to him and maybe he'll understand."

"How can you be so sure? You can't trust him."

"I trusted you," I shouted. "I trusted you with my secret when we became friends. How are you any different from Eddie?"

He opened his mouth to say something but then shut it. Adrian knew I had a point.

"That's different," he murmured.

"How is it different? I know him and I know that he won't tell anyone if I ask him too. Even if Eddie refuses to talk to me after I tell him the truth, he will still keep it to himself."

He shook his head and sat down on the couch, his head in his hands.

"I don't know Rose. Telling him means you're putting everything on the line. We have all worked hard to keep you a secret and by confessing to Eddie means that everything we did was for nothing."

I joined him on the couch and touched his shoulder. "It wasn't for nothing. I appreciate everything that you, Sydney and Abe do for me but it would be stupid of us to think that no one would ever find out."

He turned his head towards me. "You need to compel him."

I hated it when he was stubborn. He was only looking out for me and yes, it was sweet of him but I trust Eddie and I refuse to break the promise I made.

"I'm sorry Adrian."

Before he could protest, I left his room and went to find Eddie. I knew he wouldn't be at the gym so I made my way to his room. It was past curfew now and I was hoping I wouldn't get caught by anyone, especially Dimitri.

I couldn't let him distract me from what I was going to do. When I reached Eddie's room, I knocked twice and waited. There was no response. I was about to leave and look somewhere else but then I heard his breathing through the door.

"Eddie, it's Rose. I just want to talk."

Finally, he slowly opened the door to let me in. I stepped inside as he shut the door behind me. The last time I was here, it hadn't been so awkward and now, the tension in the room was suffocating.

"Did you tell anyone?" I asked.

He shook his head and relief washed over me. "Are you going to give me an explanation?"

"Yes." I gestured for him to sit down and he did. I was too nervous to sit and instead opted to stand, trying to hide my shaking hands. When I had told Adrian the truth, I didn't feel as nervous as I was right now.

"Um...I don't really know how to start." I said hesitantly.

"Why do you have so many tattoos?"

I stood still while staring at my hands. "Because I've killed a lot of strigoi over the past few years."

That confused Eddie even more. "Years? Rose no one has ever killed that many especially before they were eighteen."

"What do you know about the Dark One?"

"The Dark One? Rose what does that have to do with anything?" he asked impatiently.

Oh god, how was I suppose to explain this? _Just say what you said to Adrian._

"Just answer the question."

He shook his head, glaring at the wall behind me. "I don't know anything just like everyone else. All I know is that they kill strigoi."

"Eddie," I said quietly, taking a step forward. " _I_ am the one who has been killing all those strigoi."

The room was so quiet except for Eddie's breathing. He had an unreadable expression and I wasn't sure if he was going to believe me.

"You're saying that you are the Dark One," he replied slowly, trying to piece it together.

"Yes and before you choose not to believe me, let me tell you everything and then you can decide whether or not I'm lying."

He stayed silent and I took that as my chance to speak.

"I come from a long line of Draugr's, they're a type of vampire that no one knows exist. Only one Draugr can exist at a time and when my great-grandfather died, I was born as the new Draugr."

"What makes a Draugr different from the rest of us?" At least he hadn't thrown me out, yet.

"They look just like dhampir's except they are faster, stronger and they heal quicker than strigoi do. They can use compulsion on anyone and it's stronger than a spirit-user or a strigoi's compulsion."

Eddie's blank face was killing me. I just wanted to know what he was thinking.

"So you are a Draugr and that makes you the Dark One? That's how you managed to leave the gym so quickly. I thought my mind was playing tricks on me but you really are fast."

I nodded. "I'm also immortal. I can't be killed the way anyone else could be killed."

He stood up and started pacing around his room. I remained against the wall unsure of what to expect from him.

"This is insane," he murmured.

I continued. "My duty as the Dark One is to protect all moroi and dhampir's from strigoi. It is why my kind exists and we were given these special abilities because they would help us against strigoi."

"Wait, why are you here then?" he asked. "If you're suppose to be killing strigoi why are you at an academy as a student?"

"Tatiana asked me to work undercover as a student to help solve the problem of the students that had gone missing. I'm on a mission here and once I figure it out, I'll move onto the next assignment."

Eddie didn't say anything for a moment and then he looked at me, his glare had intensified.

"Is that why you were asking so many questions about Mason? Were you just using me for answers?"

 _Oh no._ The nerves came back and I couldn't speak. He had worked out that I had been using him.

"Did you even care? Or was it just about finding something that could help you with this mission so you could leave?"

He was angry and I didn't blame him. I would be pissed too if our roles were reversed. Eddie had every right to mad at me but I hated that he was.

"I'm sorry but you were the closest to Mason and I needed something to help me find out why students were being kidnapped. I feel awful that I used your grief for Mason as a way to help me. I'm so sorry Eddie."

His anger dimmed a little and it was replaced with sadness. "I trusted you Rose."

"You can still trust me." He definitely wasn't going to believe that. "You're my friend which is why I'm telling you the truth instead of compelling you to forget."

"Well thanks," he replied sarcastically. "Nice to know you won't ever compel me."

"Eddie please, you have to know that I truly do care about you."

"Does anyone else know about you?"

"My dad, Adrian, his girlfriend and now Tatiana."

The blank look was back. "I'm guessing you've been using Lissa and Christian as well?"

Guilty. "Yes. I had to know about your kidnapping."

He sighed heavily, his hands on the back of his neck. "I don't know how to handle this Rose. I understand why you had to lie about who you are and honestly, I'm not angry because of that. I couldn't careless if you were just a dhampir like me or the Dark One. I'm pissed because you used our friendship to find answers."

My heart sank. I had really screwed up. "I'm sorry Eddie."

"I won't tell anyone, you have my word but I need time to process everything."

It was what I had expected. Of course he wasn't going to be okay with it and it would be hard to have Eddie mad at me. He really was a great friend.

"I understand and thank you for not telling everyone."

Walking to the door, I was about to turn the handle but then I stopped.

"I know I let you down but I'm still here for you."

He didn't respond and I took that as my cue to leave. Everything that had happened suddenly hit me hard. Adrian was mad at me for refusing to compel Eddie, Abe would probably want to kill me as soon as he finds out and Eddie, and well I wasn't sure he would still want to be my friend after this.

I didn't feel like going to my room so I walked around aimlessly until I found myself at the gym. I pushed the door open and saw Dimitri, he was clearly finishing up a workout. I was surprised to find him in here after curfew. He turned around when he heard the door open and I kept walking towards him.

"I can see you don't understand the meaning of curfew," he said dryly.

Shrugging, I leaned against the wall. "I don't feel like sleeping right now."

Dimitri frowned. "What's going on Rose?"

I sighed and looked down at the ground. "I did something bad to a friend of mine and I'm not sure if he's going to want anything to do with me anymore."

"Is this friend Adrian?"

"No, well he's probably mad at me as well but he's not the one I'm talking about."

"You don't think he'll forgive you?"

"I don't think so," I said softly. "I don't want to think about it anymore. What are you doing here so late anyway?"

It was obvious he wanted to know more but didn't push me. "I wanted to get a workout in."

Silence fell between us and I lifted my head to see Dimitri already watching me.

"Why did you kiss me?" I blurted out.

He wasn't expecting me to bluntly ask that question. "I thought we decided not to talk about that again."

"After tonight, I won't ever bring it up but I want to know why you kissed me."

Dimitri stared at me and I felt myself getting lost in his eyes. He still hadn't answered me so I took a step closer to him.

"Why did you kiss me Comrade?" The smell of his aftershave was intoxicating.

No one would notice it except for me that he was trying really hard to remain in control.

"Roza, I think it's time you go back to your room."

I probably should have let it go but I didn't want to.

"Tell me why and then I'll leave."

The way he was looking at me made my heart race and my eyes flickered down to his lips.

"Because I wanted to," he whispered, his accent was thicker making his voice sound even sexier.

I closed the short distance between us and kissed him with everything I had. He responded immediately, one hand was on my back and the other went straight to my hair. My arms were around his neck and this kiss had more intensity than the first. His lips lightly traced my bottom lip and I opened my mouth slightly to grant him access.

This time, he didn't push me away when I brushed my hand across his cheek. He pulled me closer and the feeling was euphoric. The feeling of Dimitri's body against mine and our lips moving in sync was more than enough to make my knees go weak. Being with him this way made me feel alive. I broke the kiss to catch my breath and his forehead rested against mine.

I wanted Dimitri more than anything. Ever since that first kiss, my feelings for him had grown and I knew that what I felt for him was more than just some crush. I was falling for him. The nagging voice at the back of my mind told me that this wasn't possible and it would never work.

I stepped out of his arms, his eyes never leaving mine. His breathing was a little ragged and a few strands of his hair had escaped from his tie as they framed his face making him look even sexier. If that was even possible. I kissed him again, softly this time.

"I'll see you tomorrow Comrade."

I spun on my heel and walked away from him. He didn't call my name out or try to catch up to me. Most likely because he was probably stunned that we had kissed, again. It saddened me to think that I could never have him and that he would move on with someone else.

Whoever that person would be, is one lucky person. I returned to my room not paying attention to anything around me and entered my room before turning the lights on. There sitting on my bed was Adrian and Abe standing in the middle of my room not looking impressed.

"Apparently you haven't been quiet about your secret," he said stiffly.

Great. Another problem. I really needed to start locking my door.

 **AN: Poor Eddie :( He was upset that Rose was using him. On a better note, you got another Romitri kiss and it most certainly won't be the last. I'm working on the next chapter right now so it should be up very soon and I'll do my absolute best not to go too long without updating. Thank you so much for reading xoxo Have a great day/night!**


	19. I Don't Regret It

**AN: Hello Friends! Thank you for all the reviews, favourites and follows! I am thrilled that there are so many people who are enjoying my story. It means so much to me :) Here's Chapter nineteen. Enjoy!**

 **RPOV**

"How could you slip up like that Rose?"

I was exhausted and all I wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep away my problems but Abe and Adrian weren't leaving anytime soon.

"I already told you that he won't tell anyone."

Adrian had sold me out to Abe and I hadn't stopped glaring at him since. He defended himself by saying that he was only looking out for me. Abe was annoyed that I had told Eddie and he too was trying to convince me to compel Eddie to forget.

"And that's suppose to make it okay?" Abe challenged. "You might trust him but we don't."

"This is my secret," I shot back, my voice rising. "It is mine, not yours and I decide who gets to found out not you two."

Abe didn't appreciate my outburst. "We have all worked hard to hide your secret."

I sighed. "I know and for that I'm grateful but one day, the truth about the Dark One is going to come out eventually. Whether it be me or a future Draugr, it won't stay a secret forever."

Adrian spoke up. "We know but we were hoping that no one would find out for a very long time."

This was a mess. What was suppose to be a temporary stay for the mission had become one giant complication.

"What's done is done and I am not going to compel Eddie. He made me a promise and I trust him to keep it. I'm not even going to be here for much longer anyway so what does it matter that one extra person knows?"

They remained quiet. Fighting about this wasn't doing anything except causing us to be angry with one another.

"I will be even more careful okay? Can we please just focus on the mission?"

Abe and Adrian exchanged a look before nodding. Thank goodness. I was hoping to kick them out now so I could sleep but then I remembered something.

Biting my lip I said, "I actually have something else to tell you."

"What now?"

I glared at Adrian before continuing. "Sydney gave me another address to a strigoi hideout and I went to the cabin. Two of the strigoi are dead and the other one…I let him go."

"Unbelievable," Abe groaned. "What has gotten into you? It's like you stopped doing everything the way you usually do. Are you trying to get yourself caught?"

I refrained from rolling my eyes. "No of course not. He knows Isaiah, the strigoi who killed Mason so I sent a message to him through this strigoi."

"And what exactly is that suppose to accomplish?" Adrian asked wearily.

"It makes finding Isaiah easier. He's probably the one behind the kidnappings."

"I'm too tired to deal with this right, we can talk about this tomorrow after we've slept."

Abe moved towards the door, Adrian on his heels.

"Try and keep a low profile okay kid?"

I agreed and shooed them away. Changing into my pyjamas, I slipped underneath the covers and fell asleep instantly, the exhaustion from today taking over.

* * *

Eddie was avoiding me. I know he needed space but I did miss having him around. Unfortunately, Christian and Lissa seemed to notice.

"What's going on with you and Eddie?"

"Nothing," I replied, pushing my food around with my fork.

I didn't miss the look they exchanged. "Where's Adrian?"

 _In his room cause he's still mad at me._ "I don't know, he isn't really a morning person."

Lissa cleared her throat and stood up from her seat. "I have to go the feeders before my next class, I'll see you two at lunch."

She offered me a warm smile and I returned it. Lissa was so nice, it was hard to be in a bad mood when she was around. Christian stayed in his seat, studying me.

"Fine, just say it."

"Say what?"

"Say whatever you're thinking," I answered.

He leaned forward with his elbows on the table. "What's really going on?"

"Eddie's mad at me, we fought about something and he needed space."

"Wait, are you two dating? Lovers quarrel?" he teased, smirking at me.

"Why is it so hard for people to accept that I'm single?" I muttered.

Christian sobered up. "Seriously though, you look like you've been dealing with a lot lately. You know you can talk to us if you want."

Huh, didn't realise he had a caring and sensitive side, except when he was with Lissa.

I mustered up a smile. "Thanks but I'll be fine."

"You know there's something about you that I can't quite put my finger on," he mused.

"Um…okay?" I wasn't sure about where he was going with this.

"I'll figure it out though."

 _Sure you will._ Just then, Avery approached our table smiling shyly. "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all," I said, moving so she could sit down. "How are you settling in?"

"It's okay, not as bad as I thought it would be."

Christian looked like he wished he had gone with Lissa. I smiled to myself and stood up.

"I would love to stay and chat but I actually have a training session with Dimitri."

He looked at me in horror realising that I was leaving him alone with Avery. I bit the inside of my cheeks to keep myself from laughing at his expression.

"I'll see you later Avery…Christian."

"Bye Rose," she responded, seeming oblivious.

Christian glared at me and I mouthed out the words 'talk to her,' before walking away. Annoying him seems like fun. I usually had training with Dimitri in the early morning but I had requested to have it pushed back so I could sleep in after yesterday's events.

I made sure to have my hair in low ponytail today and my jacket had a high neckline so I knew that my tattoos wouldn't be showing. On my way there, I saw Eddie and I felt a pang of hurt knowing that he was upset with me. We made eye contact and he remained impassive.

I tried to as well but I was sure that he must have seen that I was feeling bad about what I did. He looked away and I walked past him. I really hoped he wouldn't be mad at me for too long. To my surprise, I was actually a few minutes earlier than Dimitri so I started on my laps until he arrived.

It felt so good to run after all the stress I have had to deal with. Running didn't make it all go away but while I was doing my laps, it was easy to forget. I completed my laps and walked back inside to see Dimitri sitting on the floor reading a western novel. Typical. My cheeks flushed when I remembered last night's kiss. Dimitri didn't push me away but that didn't mean he was okay with it.

"What's the plan for today?"

He closed the book and stood up. "We're going to be training outside today."

That was different. A few moments later, we were close to the woods but still within the wards. We were far away enough so that no one could see us plus the trees covered us. We went straight into training.

I did what I could to focus but every now and then, my mind would drift to the kiss with Dimitri. He didn't seem affected and I made sure not to let him know what I was really thinking. The session ended and I helped him pack up the equipment we used.

"I guess we're not going to be talking about last night." Might as well get to the point.

Dimitri sighed. "You said you wouldn't bring it up again if I answered your question."

"I lied. I was surprised you didn't push me away the second time."

"If I remember correctly, you didn't think it was a good idea either," he retorted.

Only a few days ago I was telling myself that I shouldn't be getting too close to Dimitri and yet here I was wanting him to confess how he really feels about me.

"Are you saying that you regret kissing me back last night?"

"Roza don't. Just leave it alone."

"You kissed me back and didn't push me away, I think I have the right to know why."

He had his guardian mask on, something that I hated. Although it did prove that he was trying to stay in control.

"Answer the question Comrade."

"Don't call me that." His hard exterior was starting to break.

"You do regret it don't you?" I asked disappointedly.

He stayed quiet as his gorgeous brown eyes gazed into mine and slowly, the guardian mask slipped away. "No, I don't regret it."

My heart fluttered. "Why did you push me away then?"

"Because we can't be together." Something shifted in his eyes, desire mixed with a hint of sadness.

"Because you're my mentor," I stated.

"Yes and I'm seven years older than you."

I stepped closer to him. "I want to be with you."

A pained expression crossed his face. "Roza please, don't make this difficult. You know we can't be together, it isn't right."

"I know," I admitted reluctantly. "That doesn't change how I feel about you though."

Dimitri didn't look away from me, instead his eyes were staring right into mine. I could see that he wanted me but he was holding back. What was I doing? Of course he wasn't going to give in. I needed to walk away from this.

"I'm sorry I brought it up, I won't do it again," I promised. "I'll see you later Dimitri."

He looked like he was contemplating on something but I didn't stick around to find out what it was. I turned around and then I heard him speak.

"Screw it," he murmured.

He grabbed my hand, pulling me against him and he kissed me fiercely. The feeling that I felt last night returned and I welcomed it. He lifted me up so that my legs were wrapped around his waist and he used the tree to support me.

My hand was tangled up in his hair and his fingers lightly brushed my hip underneath my shirt. His touch sent electricity throughout my entire body and I broke the kiss to catch my breath. His lips went to my neck and he kissed me from my collarbone and up to my jaw until he captured my lips again. This kiss was desperate and passionate like our lives depended on this one kiss. All the pent up emotion we had both tried to control reached the surface.

The mission was a pain to deal with but the moments I had with Dimitri were worth it. I knew that eventually I was going to have to leave but for now, I wanted to savour every moment with him in case I would never have such an amazing experience again. We both pulled away, gasping for air and I held onto him as he lowered me to the ground.

"I take it you feel the same way about me," I said breathlessly.

He smiled. "The things you do to me Roza. How could I not feel the same way?"

I finally understood how Sydney and Adrian must feel whenever they were together. I had never thought it would feel this special.

"Why did you pull me back?"

Dimitri lightly touched my cheek and I leaned into his touch. "I didn't want you thinking that I didn't want you."

"We have to keep this a secret though right?"

He nodded, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear. "Yes we do. Are you okay with that?"

"As long as I'm with you, I don't mind," I replied, leaning into him.

His arms tightened around me and he rested his chin on top of my head. We stayed like that for a moment before we walked back inside. I kissed him again and then left to go to my next class, a smile plastered on my face.

The class I shared with Eddie. Usually I would sit next to him but with him being mad at me, I didn't want to push it so I sat a few seats away from him. Class dragged on and I was barely paying attention. It was hard to concentrate when Eddie and I weren't talking yet he was only sitting a few seats down. It was also hard when I kept thinking back to the kiss with Dimitri and I found myself touching my lips, remembering how it felt.

When class finished, I packed up my books when Jesse and Ralf stepped in my path. I repressed a sigh and waited for them to get whatever they needed to say out of their system.

"We're having a party tonight, want to join us?"

"No thank you." I tried to step past them but they moved so I couldn't leave.

"Do I need to break your necks to get you idiots to leave me alone?" I snapped.

Jesse smirked and Ralf chuckled. "Come on Rose, it's one night. Put on your sexiest outfit and we can spend some alone time."

He reached out to wrap his arm around my waist but I slapped his hand away. The last thing I wanted to do was spend "alone time" with Jesse.

"She said she didn't want to." We all turned to look at the person who had spoken. Eddie was coming closer with an annoyed look. It wasn't aimed at me though but rather Jesse and Ralf.

"Why? Are you two hooking up?" sneered Ralf.

I rolled my eyes and before I could say anything, Eddie beat me to it.

"Rose isn't interested in either of you and honestly she is way out of your league. Now leave unless you want to be punched."

They both glared at him and Jesse muttered a 'whatever' under his breath while leaving with Ralf trailing behind him.

"Thanks," I said to Eddie.

Nodding once, he turned to leave. "Eddie wait."

He stopped in his tracks and I caught up to him. "Are you still mad at me?"

"What do you think Rose?"

Of course he still was. "I'm sorry, I just miss you. Hanging out with Christian and Lissa doesn't feel the same way without you. I know you're still mad but I just want my friend back."

"You used me," he whispered.

Those words hit me hard. "I know and I feel horrible for doing that. Please let me make it up to you? I don't know how I'll do it but I will."

His face softened slightly. "You have no idea how hard it is to stay mad at you."

My lips twitched. "I thought you were still mad."

"I am, sort of but I get why you did what you did. It was a lot to take in."

"Are we cool?" I asked hopefully.

He smiled a little. "Yeah we're cool."

I threw my arms around him, grateful to have my friend back. First Dimitri and I are kind of somewhat together and now Eddie and I were friends again. This day was turning out to not be so bad after all.

"No more secrets though. And if you want to know something just ask me," he said seriously.

I quickly nodded. "Deal, although there are a few other things that I haven't told you yet."

"Like what?"

Glancing around the hallway, there wasn't anyone around but I didn't want to take the risk of someone overhearing us.

"We'll talk about it later when we're alone."

The bell rang letting us know that we were both running late to our next class, I told him I would meet him in his room later and hurried to my next class. When classes were over, I was nervous about having to deal with Abe and Adrian again.

Abe had called me to his room and I was dreading the confrontation that was waiting for me. I entered his room where Adrian was on the phone and Abe was pouring himself a glass of scotch.

He always drank scotch whenever he was dealing with something that made him stressed. I waited for Adrian to end the phone call who I was assuming was with Sydney. He sat down in one of the chairs, both of them watching me.

"Thanks for asking me how my day was," I mumbled bitterly.

"I'm thinking about taking you off the mission," said Abe.

I shot up from my seat. "What? No you can't do that."

"Rose just hear him out," Adrian piped in.

"This mission has clearly taken its toll on you, we can leave this to the guardians and you can fly out to New Orleans for your next assignment. It'll be much easier than this one," explained Abe.

"No," I said firmly. "I'm not leaving until I find the son of a bitch who kidnapped those students. I don't care if you think I'm not competent enough to handle this. I'm not going anywhere until this case is solved."

"Told you she wouldn't give up." Adrian shut up when I glared at him.

Abe ignored him. "Rose there hasn't been a kidnapping in a while, maybe whoever has been doing this has stopped."

"And what about Mason, Carter and Meredith? They could still be alive and waiting for someone to rescue them."

"The chances of them being alive are slim."

"I don't care," I responded stubbornly. "I'm staying. If you two want to leave then be my guest."

I didn't mean that. This mission was already hard enough, without them here, it would be even more difficult.

Adrian stood up from his seat and placed a hand on my shoulder. "There have been no updates and there aren't any new leads. You're wasting your time here when you could be helping out somewhere else."

"I am _not_ leaving," I said slowly, my teeth clenched.

He dropped his hand from my shoulder and shrugged at Abe. "I tried."

I felt a little smug knowing that everything they were doing wasn't enough to convince me.

Abe threw his hands up. "Fine, I guess we're staying."

"Good, can I go now?"

"Actually little dhampir, we need to talk."

And I was almost out the door. "What is it?"

"Sydney told me that you two discovered something about your kind."

I had forgotten about that and I also recalled how Sydney said she wouldn't say anything to Adrian. He seemed to read my mind.

"She didn't tell me anything, just that I should talk to you."

Abe looked between us. "I would like to know too."

I flopped back into the chair since they clearly weren't going to let me leave.

"Sydney found out more about Draugrs, specifically about the ones before me."

I proceeded to tell them everything, my purpose, the darkness, the suicides, the only way I could be killed and how I wasn't going to be living a very long life. Abe's face was neutral the entire time while Adrian didn't try as hard to keep any emotion off his face.

"Shit little dhampir, why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"It slipped my mind."

"Sydney's right," said Abe. "We will find a way to help you fight off the darkness."

"Thanks but I don't think there is a way dad."

He looked momentarily surprised. I only called him dad when I was being serious.

"It doesn't matter, we'll work something out."

I was about to protest but was cut off when Abe's phone rang. He excused himself to answer the call.

"You're a strong person you know?" Adrian came to sit down next to me, putting an arm around my shoulder.

"I guess."

"Don't sell yourself short." I gave him a small smile and Abe walked back to join us, looking a little puzzled.

"Is everything okay?" I was hoping it wasn't another kidnapping.

"Guardian Belikov wants to talk to you."

I frowned. "I saw him during our session, if he wanted to talk he could have done it then."

Abe sighed. "No Rose. He doesn't want to talk to you as in Rose. He wants to talk to you as in the Dark One."

 **AN: Yay! Eddie and Rose are friends again and Romitri is kind of official. Chapter 20 will be up soon, I'm aiming for Friday or Saturday. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and thank you so much for reading xoxo Hope you have a great day/night :D**


	20. Trained to Kill

**AN: I can't believe we're up to chapter twenty already! So I'm a bit stuck here because I have come up with so many ideas on how Dimitri should find out Rose's secret and I can't seem to stick to just one or I'm not sure if that's the way it should happen. If you have any ideas, I would love to hear them. Please leave it in the reviews or PM me, I don't mind either one and I'm open to all suggestions :) I know that some of you are wanting Dimitri to find out in this chapter, but Eddie only just found out about Rose. It's something that people are looking forward to and so am I, just please be patient. It won't be long now but I think it's too soon to happen in this chapter. I hope you understand. Anyway, here's chapter twenty. Enjoy!**

 **DPOV**

I was pacing back and forth, the wind whipping my hair around my face. Being nervous was something that I rarely ever felt but knowing that at any moment the Dark One would be here to talk to me, made me agitated.

Alberta had pulled through for me and I was surprised that the Dark One actually agreed to meet me. I wondered if they would show me who they really are. I highly doubted it but there was nothing wrong with hoping for it. I heard a rustle behind me and I spun around ready to attack.

"You requested to meet with me Guardian Belikov?"

The Dark One was here. To my dismay, they were using a voice changer and they were hidden behind the shadows. It was almost pitch black out here in the woods that even my dhampir eyesight wasn't good enough to make out a silhouette.

It was hard to tell where they were speaking from. If I wasn't mistaken, it was as if they were everywhere around me at once. I straightened up and plastered on my guardian mask.

"Yes I did," I replied confidently. "I wanted to directly discuss with you about the kidnappings."

"Everything that I have found has been passed onto Alberta. I'm assuming she has kept you informed."

There was nothing about them that could help me figure out who this person was. I tried to be subtle about looking out for them, but it was difficult. I couldn't even sense where they were. The voice changer made it hard to determine whether it was a man or a woman and the way they spoke was professional and rigid. They were good at keeping their identity a secret.

"She has but I feel like you're holding back on important information."

They stayed quiet and I wondered if they were still here or had left.

"I have found minor things but not enough for a solid lead," they admitted.

So they did know something. "Any information no matter how small is helpful."

At this point I had given up on trying to make this person out. It wasn't working and they clearly didn't want to make an appearance.

"There is a strigoi named Isaiah, he was there when Eddie, Mason and the Princess were kidnapped. He killed Mason and I believe he may have something to do with the abductions of the students."

Isaiah. That name didn't sound familiar. How they knew that Isaiah was the one who killed Mason was beyond me. This person knew exactly what and who they were looking for.

"Have you found Isaiah?" If anyone could see me right now, they would think I was crazy to be standing in the middle of the woods talking to myself.

"I have sent a message to him. It won't be long before he attempts to contact me. When he does I will be ready," they said, their voice echoing around me.

"Is that all?" I was kind of disappointed at the lack of information. This wasn't all that great."

"I'm afraid so. When I find Isaiah, you will find out but until then, I have nothing else to say."

"Wait," I called out. I had the Dark One here, I wasn't going to waste this opportunity.

"Why don't you want to be seen?"

"I'm not like moroi or dhampir. I'm different and it's easier to be unseen than to be in the spotlight. At least this way, people don't have a choice but to respect me."

I frowned. "What do you mean by different?"

"You wouldn't understand," their voice had quieted down and almost sounded sad.

"You haven't given me the chance," I replied.

Instead of responding to the question, they ended the conversation. "I have to go. Goodbye Guardian Belikov."

I heard another rustle and knew that they had left. When they were here I could feel their presence and now it was just me. I shook my head, walking back to the academy. This wasn't what I wanted.

I wanted answers and maybe something that could help name Isaiah meant nothing to me and I couldn't stop thinking about what they had said about being different. If they weren't a moroi or dhampir then what were they?

* * *

 **RPOV**

Weeks had flown by and if I wasn't careful, I would slip into the fantasy of being a regular dhampir student at an academy. It was hard to remember that I was on a mission when there wasn't a lot happening. Unfortunately another student had gone missing. A dhampir, no sign of a struggle and it was like he had vanished into thin air. Tatiana wasn't impressed but I didn't care about her. That was a total of three kidnappings within the academy. I just wanted to get the students back.

Eddie and I had spent hours talking about being the Dark One. He had a lot of questions and I answered as honestly as I could. It felt great to have someone to talk to. I loved Adrian, Sydney and Abe but they weren't with me all day like Eddie was. He wasn't mad at me anymore and I was relieved that this secret had only strengthened our friendship instead of ruining it.

My talk with Dimitri as the Dark One felt like months ago. I was incredibly nervous that I would accidentally give something away and he would know it was me. He didn't mention to me that he had spoken to the Dark One, whish was expected. He looked disappointed with my answers but I preferred it that way. It would push him away and not want to turn to me for answers.

Speaking of Dimitri, things were wonderful between us. We still had training in the morning and most of the time, the sessions would be full of stolen kisses and flirting. When we were in public, he would watch me and whenever I would catch him staring, he remained stoic but his eyes would hold so much warmth for me.

After the intense kiss in the woods, he was a bit reluctant about giving in but eventually he slowly did. I hadn't told anyone about him but Adrian did suspect something was up with my aura. We were back on good terms again and he would try to bring it up but I would change the subject. He was going to eventually confront me and that day was today.

"Little dhampir?"

"Hmm." I was standing in front of his fridge with the door open looking for something to eat. There was a sandwich and I figured that would do.

"We need to talk," he said, patting the seat next to him.

I joined him. "About?"

"About a certain guy that is behind the reason why your aura has been lighting up lately."

I gulped. Not again. "Adrian we've been through this."

"Funny you say that since we have never talked about it. Every time I bring it up you shut me down and talk about something else."

Damn, he was right. Instead of replying, I busied myself with the sandwich.

"Rose," he said sternly. "Who's the guy? Is it Eddie? You have been spending a lot of time with him."

Sighing, I said, "No it isn't Eddie. We're just really close friends."

"You didn't deny that there is a guy," he pointed out.

I glared at my sandwich as I mentally kicked myself for not denying it.

"And now you're silent."

"Consider my silence as denial," I retorted.

He grabbed my chin lightly and turned my face towards him so that his dark green eyes could pierce into mine.

"What is it about this guy that you're so afraid to tell me?"

"I'm not afraid."

"Your aura says otherwise."

"Stop looking at my aura," I snapped. "There is no guy and even if there were, it's none of your business."

He dropped his hand, looking a little hurt. I almost felt bad. "Fine, I'll find out eventually."

I was really hoping he wouldn't. No one could know about Dimitri and there was no way Adrian would approve of our…relationship. If you could even call it that. What I had with Dimitri was amazing but I wasn't exactly sure on what we were.

"How's Sydney?" I asked. Adrian glared at me, knowing that I was changing the subject, as always.

"She's doing okay. I actually need to be heading back home to Sydney."

My mood dropped. "Oh, well I know you two must be missing each other. You were going to end up going back soon anyway."

It had been more than a week. More like a month and that was much longer than what Adrian had intended. He must be missing Sydney like crazy and even though I wanted him to stay, he needed to be with her.

"Don't worry little dhampir, we'll see each other soon," he said, trying to comfort me.

I had lost my appetite and I placed the half-eaten sandwich on the table.

"Yeah I guess, I've just gotten use to having you around."

He smirked. "We'll see each other again and when we do, Sydney will be there too."

That did make me feel a little better. "When are you leaving?"

"Tonight when the sun's still out. It's way too dark for me to leave now and I still haven't packed yet."

I rolled my eyes. "Typical. Well I guess I should let you start packing and I'll see you later before you have to go."

We both stood up and he pulled me into a hug. It wasn't going to be easy with him leaving and not seeing him for a while. It's how it was with us. I still haven't seen Sydney and I really missed her. I took comfort in Adrian and finally pulled away, promising to see him later.

I had training with Dimitri anyway so that was more than enough to lift my mood up. He was already at the gym, his back towards me and I made sure the door was locked so no one could walk in on us. I decided to sneak up on him. Luckily for me, he didn't know I was in here, thanks to my stealth skills.

It would be unfair if I used my abilities so instead, I quietly made my approach before sprinting towards him. I was about to leap onto his back when he suddenly spun around, faster than I thought he was capable and grabbed me by the waist and pushed me against the wall. One of his hands had both of mine pinned above my head and the other rested on my hip.

 _Damn, I almost had him._

"Hello Roza," he greeted, a smile playing on his lips.

"Hey Comrade," I replied breathlessly.

His lips pressed hard against mine and his grip on my hands loosened, allowing me to wrap them around his neck. We usually started our sessions off with a short make-out session that distracted me for the next hour while training. He pulled away and played with a strand of my hair. Over the past few weeks, my feelings for Dimitri had intensified and we were closer than ever. Obviously a lot of our moments were behind closed doors in the gym but it was better than nothing.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered, placing soft kisses along my collarbone.

There were also moments when I wanted to do more than kissing but I never said anything. I was still seventeen and knowing Dimitri, he wasn't going to sleep with me if I was underage. My birthday was getting closer though, maybe then it could happen.

 _If you're still even here._

I pushed the nagging voice to the back of mind, not wanting to think about that right now.

"I can't believe that I'm the one saying this but we do have training to do."

He smiled, clearly amused. "Rose Hathaway actually wanting to have class, never thought I would see the day."

I pushed on his chest jokingly and he grabbed my hand, pulling me to the middle of the room. He was always the one to switch from kissing to training, not me but the nagging voice was getting in the way. I had no idea what I was going to do when the time came for me to leave and go to New Orleans.

I know it's something I should think about but I was too stubborn to think about it just yet. Training went on without a hitch unless you counted the several times I was distracted by Dimitri. I could tell that there were times when his guard would slip and his eyes would soften as he looked at me.

"I'll see you tomorrow for training."

"Come on, do I really need one-on-one training? I'm so good I could be teaching you," I teased.

He lifted one of his eyebrows. "You're not getting out of training Rose. Besides, it's probably the only time we get to spend time alone."

"Good point." I kissed him again and when we finally managed to pull ourselves away from each other, I went to take a shower before classes started. Avery happened to be in one of my classes. She seemed nice and I kind of felt bad for not giving her a chance.

On the first day, I had thought she was shy but once I had gotten to know her, she reminded me a lot of Adrian sometimes. The old Adrian. She always had spontaneous ideas running through her mind and boy could she party. It amazed me that she still had a liver after all the drinking she did.

"Hey Rose." She slid into the seat next to mine. "Killer party last night, you should have been there."

I grimaced. "I'm glad I missed it. How are you even here? I thought you would be hung-over."

Avery winked at me. "Oh honey I don't get hangovers. My tolerance is through the roof."

"Really? Hadn't noticed."

She giggled. "You know, it wouldn't kill you to turn up to one of the parties. You're totally hot and trust me, there are a ton of guys who would love to hook up with you."

Hooking up with the guys here was far from how I wanted to spend my nights. I would rather spend my nights with Dimitri.

"The guys here aren't my type."

"Sheesh girl, you've got high standards."

I thought about how perfect Dimitri was and how his attractiveness crushed every male in this school

"Yeah I guess I do," I murmured, smiling to myself.

Avery gave me a funny look but she didn't say anything since the teacher started the class.

* * *

"Would you stop staring at him?" I hissed.

Abe, Adrian and Eddie were in my room. Eddie was actually here first so we could hang out but then Abe and Adrian decided to show up and now Abe was shifting his glare from me to Eddie and Adrian was outright staring at Eddie. I felt sorry for him, being scrutinized for doing absolutely nothing wrong. He was uncomfortable but he did a good job of hiding it.

"Okay, why are you two here?"

"I wanted to check up on you," said Abe, not looking away from Eddie.

"Adrian what's your excuse?"

At least he turned to look at me. "Cause I felt like it."

"Wonderful," I muttered. "I would appreciate it if you didn't glare at my friend."

Eddie placed a hand on my shoulder. "It's alright Rose."

"Does he know?" asked Abe.

"Know what?"

"About why you're really here?"

"Yeah, he knows about the mission. He knows about everything and I know you're still not over it but you're just going to have to deal."

This time, they both glared at me. Eddie cleared his throat, trying to ease the tension.

"So any new leads?"

I shrugged, trying to hide my disappointment. "No nothing."

"What about Isaiah? Have you heard anything yet?"

Shaking my head, I leaned against my desk. "Not yet. I've gone out hunting but there is literally nothing to help me."

"We need to break it down and look at every single detail again," Abe ordered.

I groaned. "We've already done that several times and it got us nowhere."

"Then we try again."

And that's what we did, I listened to Abe and Adrian repeat the details of the case over and over again. Even Eddie was thinking deeply about our findings when he spoke up.

"There's something crucial about dhampirs. They're being kidnapped for a specific reason and if we figure that out then maybe it could help with figuring out whoever is behind it."

"He has a point," Adrian agreed.

"I just don't know why," I complained. "Why dhampirs?"

"They're harder to subdue than moroi but they aren't as great at resisting compulsion," Abe thought out loud.

 _They're harder to subdue. Easy to compel._

He continued. "It can't be strigoi behind this because they would prefer royal moroi. These dhampirs that were taken, must have gone willingly, well except for Meredith. Why would Meredith be the only one to put up a fight?"

 _Dhampirs are important. Think Rose. They're strong making them good fighters._

"None of this makes sense," whined Adrian, throwing himself onto the bed.

 _Dhampirs are fighters, easy to compel. Something's missing._

"Rose? What are you thinking so hard about?" asked Eddie.

 _They're trained to kill. Easier to compel than moroi. Stronger than moroi but not as good as guardians._

I pushed myself off from the desk, stepping forward. "Oh my god."

 _Trained to kill._

"What? Rose what's wrong?"

"They're building an army."

 **AN: I know I know! The ending might be a bit confusing but I wanted to leave it there. All will be explained in the next update. My uni classes are over for the semester but I have exams coming up so I'm going to try and write as much as I can over the weekend so I'll have something to update over my exam period. Anyway, make sure to send me in ideas of Rose's reveal with Dimitri. I just don't want him to find out by seeing Rose's tattoos cause that's how Eddie found out. So maybe something a little different for when Dimitri finds out. Chapter twenty-one should be up soon. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and thank you for reading xoxo Have a good day/night :D**


	21. Strigoi Are Here

**AN: Hello Everybody! Turns out I've been spelling Ralf's name wrong :/ Only just realised it today so I have to go back and change that. Thank you to everyone who sent in their suggestions. The majority wanted Dimitri to find out during the battle and that is what I shall do. You will find out the specific details of how when the scene is written. You will also find out who has been behind the kidnappings in this chapter. Anyway, thank you for the favourites, follows and to all the positive reviews, you are all amazing! Enjoy :)**

 **RPOV**

How the hell did I not see this one coming? The answer was literally right there in front of me and I had completely overlooked it.

"An army," stated Abe. "An army of strigoi?"

Shaking my head, I started pacing the floor trying to put everything together.

"A moroi who is turned into strigoi isn't strong enough but a dhampir would make a skilled strigoi."

"Then why not guardians?" questioned Adrian. "They're even more skilled than a novice."

"Because guardians are harder to compel and kidnap. An army of strigoi who were once dhampir's is more than strong enough to go on a killing spree."

Eddie straightened up, a worried look on his face. "An army to invade the academy?"

I nodded. "It had to be a moroi who was compelling the dhampir's someone that these students trusted."

"Except Meredith," Adrian piped in.

"Meredith put up a fight but why? Maybe she was more resistant to the compulsion than the others."

"What moroi would want to kidnap students in order to help strigoi?" asked Eddie.

I spun around to look at Abe. "Have you found anything about the moroi teachers? Anything suspicious?"

"No, they're clean. All the teachers in the academy are, I've done a background check on all of them."

"What about students Rose? Anyone that is capable of doing this?" Adrian had stood up now, feeling hyped up from the new discovery.

Racking my brain, I tried to think of any moroi students who would do such a thing. Christian and Lissa were out of the question since I knew they would never do something like this. They were also the only moroi I had interacted with.

"Well, there is Jesse and Ralf," Eddie said slowly.

"Jesse and Ralf? No way, they're both idiots who are too stupid to pull off the kidnappings," I replied, immediately shutting the idea down.

"Who are Jesse and Ralf?" asked Adrian.

"Jesse Zelkos and Ralf Sarcozy, they're both moroi."

"And you think they're the ones behind this?"

I shrugged, glancing over at Eddie. "It would make sense that they're both the ones doing the compelling because their compulsion wouldn't be strong enough on their own."

"Why them though?" Abe had remained quiet, watching us go back and forth over the theories. "Why do you think it would be them?"

Eddie answered, "They've both made advances at Rose and I remember you telling me that they were making fun of the kidnappings the first time you met them. Aside from those two, I can't think of any moroi who would want to help strigoi."

"Why would they even help strigoi? If they wanted immortality then they could just drain one of the feeders and then done, they're immortal."

I came to a stop with my pacing. "Maybe they wanted in on the strigoi group. They could have wanted a leader to help them rise above others. You know how strigoi can be they're always fighting for dominance. Not many would take Jesse and Ralf seriously since they're just two high school boys."

"That is an interesting theory," Abe mused. "But we don't have any evidence."

I slumped against the wall. "No we don't. It does explain why Meredith put up a fight though. She did say that they had come into her room and everyone knows of Jesse and Ralf's reputation. She probably didn't trust them. They must have gone back for her in the infirmary because they were unsure of whether or not their compulsion would hold."

"We have to take this to Alberta," announced Abe.

"You do that, Eddie and I will go to Jesse and Ralf's room, see if we can find some evidence."

"What about me?" asked Adrian.

I opened my closet to get a jacket and pocketed my stake. "You have a flight to catch soon."

"That isn't for another few hours. It's still dark outside."

"There's nothing you can do for now, not until we find something."

"Fine," he said reluctantly.

We all left my room. Adrian returned to his, Abe went to Alberta and Eddie and I went through the male moroi dorms.

"What's the plan?"

"Don't have one." Eddie gave me a look.

I shrugged. "We'll just improvise. If something goes wrong I'll just compel them to tell me."

"Why don't you just compel them right from the beginning?"

"Cause that just kills the fun, I want to make them sweat."

Eddie smirked and I returned it. I was hoping it really were Jesse and Ralf because it would make it easy to handle them. They were both just weak moroi who couldn't put up a fight and were easy to lock up. We first arrived at Ralf's room but there was no one there so we continued down the hall until we reached Jesse's. Instead of knocking, I barged right in to find Jesse and Ralf.

"Hey Rose, change your mind about spending some time together?" Jesse immediately flirted.

He was too arrogant for his own good. Both of them were.

"I don't recall inviting Eddie though," said Ralf, stepping out from behind Jesse.

Eddie kicked the door shut behind him and stood defensively beside me. It was nice to know that even though I was literally the strongest being in the world, he still felt the need to protect me. Our stance and the way we were glaring at them were enough to make Jesse and Ralf feel threatened.

"We actually came over to talk. I have a feeling you two have been up to something."

Ralf's smirk wavered and Jesse dropped his creepy smile altogether.

"You don't know what you're talking about."

They were definitely the ones behind it. "Hmm, I think I do. I just have one question, why? Why would you help strigoi?"

Ralf bared his fangs at me, making Eddie tense up. "I knew you were going to be a problem the first time I saw you."

I smirked. "Let me guess. You had plans to kidnap me too."

Jesse stepped forward. "It might have crossed our minds. I wanted to be the one to turn you." And the creepy smile was back.

Eddie glared harder. "It wouldn't have worked. We know the truth and we're going to turn both of you in."

Ralf laughed. "Sure you will."

Ignoring him I asked, "Callum Wakefield was helping you wasn't he?"

"Of course, he wanted immortality just like all the other humans. We compelled the dhampir's, knocked them out and dragged them outside the borders so the humans could take them back to Isaiah."

 _Isaiah. I knew he was behind this._ "So he's the mastermind?"

I reached into my pocket to get my stake but then pulled my hand back. They were still moroi, I couldn't stake them but I could knock them out if I wanted to.

"He promised us power as strigoi's," spoke up Ralf. "We deliver dhampirs and we get to be by his side and rule over the other strigoi."

"Do you realise how stupid you sound?" I asked dryly.

Jesse narrowed his eyes at me. "Say whatever you want Rose, we're going to be more powerful than anyone here and you can be too if you want."

I recoiled in disgust. "No thanks, I prefer to be sane. You are going to have to come with us now."

"No we're not."

Eddie was slightly in front of me, shielding me with his body. "Why would you tell us the truth?"

Jesse's blue eyes flashed towards Eddie. "Because compelling you to forget everything we've said is going to feel satisfying. Knowing that we have that kind of power and you two don't is exhilarating."

Ralf came closer to me, holding my gaze. "You're going to forget everything that we've said in this room and you're going to willingly come with us."

He leaned back, feeling content. I was about to ruin that for him.

"Nice try, but you're pathetic compulsion isn't going to work on me," I taunted darkly.

That was enough to piss Jesse and Ralf off. Jesse tried to grab me but Eddie pushed him away, throwing him against the wall that would be painful for a moroi. I slowly walked towards Ralf, making him back up until his back hit the wall. A quick glance over at Eddie told me that he was avoiding Jesse's eyes.

I pressed my arm against Ralf's throat. "It's over for you two. I'm going to make sure you both stay locked up."

"It's too late for that," he gasped out. "They're already here."

Eddie and I looked at each other, knowing exactly what he meant. The strigoi were already inside the academy and if they weren't, they sure as hell would be here any moment now. I reached out and tried to sense the presence of multiple strigoi and sure enough they were here, not too far from the borders. I had to get Ralf and Jesse out of the way.

I forced Ralf to look at me. "Go to sleep and when you wake up, you're going to tell the truth about what you have done. You're not going to remember me using compulsion on you."

He obeyed, not like he had a choice. His body fell against me and I pushed him off, letting him drop to the ground. Jesse's eyes were wide with fear.

"How…how did you…how did you do that?" he stammered.

Eddie let go of him but Jesse was frozen. I stood in front of him and I didn't have to force him to look at me. He couldn't seem to look away taken by surprise at my use of compulsion. I repeated the same words as I did with Ralf and he fell to the floor.

"Why didn't you just knock them out?"

"It wouldn't keep them out of it long enough, at least now I have control on when they wake up."

"And what exactly are you going to do to make them wake up?"

I hadn't thought of that. "I'll figure that out when the time comes."

Pulling out an extra stake of mine, I handed it to Eddie. "Go find Lissa and Christian, make sure they're safe."

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine. I need to go alert the guardians. They're your friends, go and protect them."

He looked reluctant to leave but knew that his duty to protect his friends was more important. Unexpectedly, he pulled me into a tight hug.

"Please be careful," he whispered.

I returned the hug. "I'm immortal, they couldn't kill me even if they wanted to."

When we pulled away, he smiled a little before racing out of the room to find Lissa and Christian. I did the same and raced down towards guardian headquarters, luckily for me, I found Abe, Alberta and Dimitri talking in the hallway.

"Abe," I called out, catching their attention.

Dimitri's eye lit up and as much as I wanted to throw my arms around him and kiss him, now was not the time.

"Strigoi are here. They're breaking the wards."

Dimitri and Alberta looked confused and shocked. Abe was the only one who reacted appropriately.

"How many?"

I concentrated on sensing them for a split second. "Hundreds, there's a whole army of them."

"How do you know this?" questioned Alberta, sounding doubtful.

Their lack of reaction was irritating me.

"Jesse and Ralf told me."

"Jesse and Ralf, what do they have to do with it?"

"I don't have time to explain," I responded, my voice rising. "We need to put the academy in lockdown, gather all the moroi and make sure the guardians are alerted. We're going to need as many as we can get."

Dimitri was studying me the entire time, wondering if he should believe me.

"Are you sure?"

I glared at him. "Yes I'm sure."

Abe had my back. "Alberta, warn everyone."

"Shit." I turned my head slightly towards the sound, hearing their footsteps cross over the border.

"They're in. They're inside the academy."

Dimitri and Alberta looked confused on how I would know but they finally did something. Alberta went to sound the alarm to let everyone know that there was an invasion.

"Dad, go find Adrian and Pavel."

He nodded and hurried away but not before, planting a kiss on my forehead. I knew he would be safe so I didn't have to worry too much about him. He looked calm on the outside but I knew he was nervous.

"Roza you need to go with him," said Dimitri, drawing his stake.

I was about to argue with him but decided not to. There was nothing Rose Hathaway could do to help with so many people watching. I needed to fight as the Dark One and I couldn't let anyone see me, especially Dimitri.

"I will. Be careful Comrade."

His eyes softened slightly and he leaned down to kiss me. It only lasted a few seconds but there was urgency to it.

"I'll be fine Roza, now go."

Without hesitating, I ran down the hallway and when I glanced behind me, Dimitri was already running in the opposite direction. I ran outside and it was absolute chaos. There were far too many strigoi to count and only a few guardians who were taking multiple strigoi on at one time.

There were even a few teachers who were moroi fire-users lighting up the strigoi. The guardians were staking as many as they could but the strigoi were dominating. This wasn't going to be easy, at least for them. Every guardian was occupied with strigoi and I needed to do something. I was conflicted. I had to kill the strigoi but I didn't want anyone seeing me.

 _Rose, you've got this._

If I concentrated on moving as fast as I could, the guardians wouldn't pick up on me. I withdrew my stake and moved out from the shadows. One of the strigoi caught sight of me and I beckoned him towards me. He bared his fangs at me and I crouched down, preparing myself. Before he could even comprehend what was happening, I sped towards him as fast as I could and drove my stake into him, pulled it out, let his body fall to the ground and moved onto the next one.

I repeated the same thing with as many strigoi I came across. By now, what I was doing was drawing attention and it distracted the strigoi. There were still hundreds of them spread across the entire academy but for now, the courtyard area was starting to clear of strigoi. The guardians were slowing down and exchanging looks wondering what was going on.

There were a few remaining strigoi but the guardians were fast in staking them. I kept my speed up, running as fast as I could until I reached the west wing to find Eddie outside fighting strigoi alongside a few guardians.

Slowing down, I came to the stop near Eddie staking one the strigoi who was sneaking up on him. Eddie turned to look at me. He was exhausted but he was relieved to see that I barely had a scar on me.

"Where are Christian and Lissa?"

"They're both in the Church so they should be fine. Strigoi can't enter Holy ground."

Thank goodness. I did a quick sweep of the area and saw that a few of the guardians from earlier had just arrived and were throwing themselves into battle.

"Are you okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I killed as many strigoi as possible without anyone seeing me. It's working so far."

Two strigoi approached us and Eddie and I went back-to-back. It didn't take long for me to stake one of them while Eddie had the other and pushed his stake through the strigoi's heart. There were more strigoi approaching and I ran to a group of them, darting past the guardians and snapped a few of the strigoi's necks with the flick of my wrist. It wasn't enough so I staked each of them.

The more I killed, the more rage built up in me. I was seeing red and I felt as if my body was on fire. Sydney's warning of the darkness flashed through my mind but in this moment I didn't care. The rage was consuming me and fuelling me at the same time. I had never killed this many strigoi all at once. The darkness was making me stronger, if that was even possible but it made me angrier than I had ever been before.

I used it to my advantage not even thinking about how this could end really badly later on. I showed no mercy and brutally attacked as many strigoi as I could find. The feeling of darkness wrapping around me felt invigorating, it was also clouding my mind.

When almost every strigoi was killed in the area, I felt proud of what I had done. The guardians and the few novices who were helping were extremely puzzled. I couldn't blame them. I came to a stop near Eddie just as more strigoi appeared. My goodness, they keep multiplying.

"Whoa, I knew you were powerful but that was phenomenal," Eddie said in between breaths.

The rage was still pulsing through my veins. I wanted more. I wanted to kill more strigoi and I wanted to feel the darkness. The feeling was addicting.

"Rose, are you okay? Your eyes look black."

I blinked, focusing on him. "I'm fine, come on we still have more strigoi to take down."

Eddie opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. His entire body went into shock and he inhaled deeply. I whipped around ready to take on whoever was behind me but I hesitated when I saw who it was. It was a strigoi, a dhampir before they were awakened. I had never seen them in real life but had spent hours reading over their file and staring at a picture of them. I understood Eddie's reaction because he clearly wasn't expecting it. My heart went out to him as I stared at the person in front of me.

It was Mason.

 **AN: Jesse and Ralf were the ones behind the kidnappings, which I'm sure most of you already guessed. I hope you're not too disappointed because it did make sense it would be them because they were a part of Mana in the original books. Some of you thought it would be Avery but she wasn't in the story when the kidnappings first happened. Mason is a strigoi, poor Eddie :( The next two chapters will be centred on the battle. The next chapter should be up a little bit later than usual cause I need to spend my time studying for my first exam, which is next week. Wish me luck haha. Thank you so much for reading xoxo Have a great day/night :D**


	22. Roza I Can't Lose You

**AN: This is a short chapter, shorter than all my other ones. I struggled quite a bit to write this chapter, no idea why but it wasn't easy, probably because I'm distracted by my exams. Not my best work but I'm going to try harder on the next one. Anyway thank you so much for the reviews and wishing me luck on my exams. You guys know exactly what to say to make my day and I'm lucky to have such amazing readers! :P Just to let you know, I will absolutely be finishing this story and there will be somewhere between 30-40 chapters in total. I know it can be frustrating when an author doesn't finish a story therefore I'm going to make sure the story has a proper ending before beginning a new one. Anyway, here's chapter 22. Enjoy! :)  
**

 **RPOV**

Eddie still hadn't moved yet and I stepped in front of him to protect him from Mason. His emotions were preventing him from doing what he should do to strigoi. I couldn't blame him, if that were my mother I would have done the same thing. Mason was smiling coldly and I was thankful to be with Eddie at this moment because there was no way he would be able to fight his former best friend.

"Eddie," I murmured.

He wasn't paying attention to me. His eyes were fixated on Mason and they were both watching each other as if I wasn't here. Any other strigoi and they would be dead already but I felt like something was holding me back. Maybe Eddie needed a moment to process what was happening, which wasn't easy to do when we were in the middle of a battle.

"Eddie," I said louder. "It's _not_ Mason, you need to snap out of it."

There was no time to comfort Eddie right now, not when there were more strigoi approaching and not as many guardians. Mason's gaze snapped towards me as his smile widened with his fangs showing.

"What do we have here? Is she your new girl?"

That caught Eddie's attention and he realised that he needed to get back into action. I could tell he was hesitant as he stepped forward, standing by me.

"She's quite beautiful, I would love to make her mine."

Strigoi are so possessive.

"It's not him Eddie," I repeated.

He glanced at me briefly and his eyes flashed with worry and sadness. He was afraid to kill the strigoi who looked just like his friend. I sympathised with him but sent him a silent message saying that we had to kill him. Eddie knew what I was saying but it did nothing to ease his discomfort.

"You're not turning anyone tonight," I barked. Without hesitating I swiped my stake across his chest and he hissed in pain, stepping back.

"I'll come back for you later," he said to Eddie. "Save the best till last and I'll make sure you watch as I kill your girlfriend here."

He left quickly and disappeared amongst the crowd of strigoi and guardians fighting. Eddie was too stunned to move.

"What the hell just happened?" I asked. "Did he just leave?"

"He'll be back Rose he wants to kill you."

I placed both of my hands on his shoulders. "He can't kill me. I hate to say this Eddie but you need to get it together. Do not hesitate especially when it comes to Mason. You know he wouldn't want to be a strigoi."

He nodded and his guardian mask wiped off all the emotion he had before. The anger was still pulsing through me and there were still a lot of strigoi around. Eddie attempted to push Mason out of his mind just enough to focus on fighting. So far, no one has been able to pick up that it was me killing all the strigoi. My speed and strength were the perfect assets, I was moving so fast that they probably couldn't even make out a blur.

I could only imagine what I looked like right now, my hair was loose and whipping around my face in the cold wind and I held all the dark spirits of the strigoi that I had killed. If death were a person, it would be me. I was taking their darkness and my soul was probably darkening right now. Eddie had mentioned earlier that my eyes looked black and that was most likely from all the rage I was generating.

There was no way this was good for me but there was a deep hunger inside of me wanting to absorb as much darkness as possible. It made no sense how this would push me to insanity; it was pushing me towards one of the most exciting feelings.

I killed as many strigoi as I could get my hands on before moving onto another area. The place where Dimitri was. He caught sight of me and I was thankful that he was okay. A little battered and bruised but well and truly alive. He seemed relieved when he looked at me and then worried. When he had finished off the strigoi he was fighting, he made his way over to me.

"Roza, what are you doing out here? You need to get back inside."

"No, I can help. There are other novices fighting too, you know I can do this."

He looked doubtful but there wasn't much time for him to argue with so many strigoi around. I had lost count of how many I had killed but I knew that it wasn't close to a hundred. There were still several of them.

"Roza, I can't lose you."

"You won't," I said firmly. "I'll be fine. We'll both be okay."

We couldn't talk anymore as we dove straight back into battle. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't use my abilities where Dimitri would see. The other guardians weren't focused on me as Rose but Dimitri would be. There was no way he was going to let me out of his sight.

It was hard to hold back but I did anyway. I was focused on what I was doing when I heard a scream in the distance, one that no one but I could hear. I strained to hear where it was coming from, which wasn't easy considering all the chaos that was happening here. I knew exactly who it was.

"Lissa."

I had to get to her. Dodging the strigoi that was seconds away from attacking, I raced passed everyone aware of Dimitri calling my name out. Ignoring him, I kept running towards the Church where the scream came from. Surrounding it was about ten strigoi and through the window, I could see Christian holding Lissa tightly. The strigoi were trying to find a way to get in but it was Holy ground, they couldn't. They were persistent.

"Roza!"

I turned around to see Dimitri catching up to me. "Comrade what are you doing?"

"What are _you_ doing?"

I didn't have the chance to answer because the strigoi had heard us. Dimitri tensed and stood beside me protectively. I knew he trusted me to handle myself but he was also worried that something would happen to me. We both approached the strigoi and they met us halfway. There were ten of them and only two of us.

 _Do not use your abilities._

I had a feeling this might not end well. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Eddie join us, how he knew that we were here was beyond me. Maybe he wanted to check up on Christian and Lissa. Amongst the group of strigoi was Mason. That's why there were so many here, Mason wanted Christian and Lissa. Strigoi had a tendency to return to the people they had once known before they were turned.

This time, Eddie was determined and the earlier shock was gone. I was proud of him. At least now we had another person who had our backs. The strigoi attacked all at once and the three of us retaliated. Christian must be itching to get in on the fight but I knew he wouldn't want to let Lissa out of his sight. I was finding it even harder than before to hold back with the wrath taking over. Trying to block it out was tough when it kept trying to push through.

We were each fighting three strigoi with Mason standing a little further away observing everything. He was taking way too much pleasure in this. What made it even worse was that all nine strigoi were old and more powerful.

Eddie was receiving a lot of hits and Dimitri was starting to slightly falter. They were both exhausted. It was finally down to four strigoi and Mason was not impressed with us getting close to having the upper hand. Dimitri grabbed a strigoi by the neck from behind and was struggling to keep her in place.

"Rose."

He wanted me to stake her and I did. I used it to cut through her stomach making her stop fidgeting so much and then shoved it into her chest. Three more to go. We each took one on, first Dimitri killed his, he moved to help me and together we brought them down. It wasn't hard to kill the last with the three of us working with each other.

When the last one was dead, I looked up to see Mason had broken a window in the Church and was standing there looking inside. We sprinted towards the Church but not before Christian was climbing out of the window with Lissa clawing at his shirt trying to pull him back. He kept resisting her though. Something was wrong.

"He's compelling Christian," shouted Eddie.

 _Well shit._

Before we could reach them, more strigoi appeared, about seven more of them. We just couldn't catch a break. To my surprise, Meredith, Carter and the recent dhampir who had been kidnapped not too long ago were closing in on us. They were no longer dhampir's just like Mason.

"Get rid of them," I yelled to Dimitri and Eddie.

I kept running towards Mason, trying to get Christian to snap out of the compulsion. It wouldn't be easy with strigoi having more strength in compulsion than spirit users. I slammed my body into Mason but he had seen me coming. He grabbed me by the shoulder and threw me against the wall of the Church. Ugh, that was going to leave a bruise, for a few seconds. I didn't let it stop me. Mason was just as good of a fighter as Eddie but with the strength of a strigoi, he was better.

Christian had kind of snapped out of it, he just looked really confused now but he was already outside of the Church. Leaving him vulnerable for any strigoi to take him and that's exactly what Meredith did. Within a blink of an eye, she had her hands around his neck and dragged him away as quickly as she could.

Lissa's scream distracted me and I slipped up, allowing Mason to punch me. Growling, I pushed him away, adding a little force to it and tried to run towards Christian but Mason caught me again. His arm snaked around my waist, pulling me to him.

"Lissa do not leave the Church," I screamed.

I hoped that she would listen and for a moment, I was scared. I was scared that Eddie and Dimitri wouldn't stand a chance against six strigoi. I was scared that Lissa would be next and I feared for Christian as I watched him being dragged away. I was scared that my secret was going to be exposed and that I would have no way of preventing that. I was scared the darkness was going to take over my mind, body and soul. I was scared because for a moment I felt helpless.

I didn't know where it came from but one glance at Dimitri was all I needed to push that aside. That one look we shared was all it took for me to realise that I was Rose freaking Hathaway-the immortal Draugr. I ripped myself away from Mason and snapped his neck, he wasn't dead but it should keep him out of the way for now. I broke down the internal wall and let the darkness in.

Dimitri, Eddie and I circled the strigoi and I didn't hold back as much. Thankfully, Dimitri was too busy to notice the change in me. We were down to the last two strigoi when Lissa opened the doors to the Church, yelling for us to come inside. The two strigoi were finally dead but Mason was already awake and heading straight towards Lissa.

Dimitri ran as fast as he could to her and managed to push her into the Church before Mason could grab her. Eddie and I were almost right behind him and Dimitri was distracted by Lissa's cry.

Time slowed down as I saw Mason's fangs close in on Dimitri's neck and I acted without thinking. I was beside them in a second and I used my strength to push Dimitri into the Church. He was taken aback and while Dimitri was out of the way, it placed me right where Mason wanted. His fangs sunk into my neck and his grip on me tightened.

"Roza!" Dimitri rushed to his feet preparing to run to me.

Mason drank from me, taking huge gulps of my blood when he cried out and stepped away, releasing me from his hold. A strigoi bite was nothing to me. Eddie had staked him in the back, though it wasn't close enough to his heart. I couldn't see straight. I could hear Lissa and Dimitri calling my name out, Eddie was shocked from staking Mason and I let go of every bit of control I had.

The rage intensified and my hunger to kill entered and spread throughout my entire body. I sped towards Mason and my hand went around his neck. Lifting him up from the ground, I tightened my grip, hearing the sound of bone breaking. I had dropped my stake when I had pushed Dimitri away and I knew that I had to do something that would kill him. I did something that I had never done before and it was unheard of. Staking a strigoi in the heart would kill them, ripping it out of their chest would do the same.

The darkness was controlling me and I didn't even want to fight it. I reached into Mason's chest and pulled his heart out, letting it slip from my hands. Mason's body followed and his vacant eyes lost the red glow. I heard Eddie whimper quietly as he dropped to his knees and that snapped me out of it. I fought through the anger and it very slowly left my body. It felt like a huge weight had lifted from my shoulders and felt as if I could finally breathe again.

Disgusted by what I had done to Mason, I turned away to look at Dimitri and Lissa, exposing my bitten neck to them and I felt the wound heal, clear enough for them to see. I couldn't make out what they were thinking but knew that they must have been traumatised by what they saw.

Lissa was cowering behind Dimitri and my eyes flittered towards him. Whenever he had looked at me, it always made my heart skip a beat. Not this time, instead my heart plummeted. He wasn't looking at me with adoration, happiness, pride or even love. There was an emotion in his eyes that I had never seen when he looked at me.

 _Fear._

He wasn't afraid for me. He was afraid _of_ me.

 **AN: Dimitri knows and so does Lissa! Hopefully Mason's death wasn't too brutal for some of you. I'm sorry if it was but do keep in mind that Rose was consumed by darkness making her have no control over what she was doing. Her actions were driven by anger and she couldn't think straight with the darkness clouding her mind. I thought I might as well let Lissa and Dimitri find out together in this and then let Christian find out later. The next chapter will start off from DPOV and pick up from the last moments of this one. Chapter 23 will be up soon I'm aiming for the weekend. Thank you so much for reading xoxo Have a great day/night! :D**


	23. What Are You?

**AN: Hello Friends! I've decided to make this chapter longer than the last one since chapter 22 was short. This story has taken a bit of a dark turn because it fits with the darkness that Rose has. I'm all about happy endings and Rose will get hers. Thank you to all the follows, favourites and welcome to any new readers :) A special thank you to all the amazing reviews! I was feeling pretty stressed but reading all your comments literally brightened my day! I'm so fortunate to have incredible readers xo Anyway, here's chapter 23. Make sure you read the AN down below after the chapter. Enjoy!**

 **DPOV**

When I had seen Mason make his way to the Princess, my instincts kicked in and I had to protect my charge. I refused to let what happened to Ivan happen to Vasilisa. I pushed her back into the Church and took on Mason. He might have previously been a dhampir but I was much stronger than him. Unfortunately he had the upper hand when I let myself get distracted by Vasilisa's cry.

I had thought she was in trouble and I looked away, giving Mason the chance to bare his fangs, ready to drink from me. That didn't happen though when I felt something extremely strong push me into the Church next to Vasilisa. I looked up to see that it was Roza. How did she do that? I didn't have time to question it when Mason sunk his teeth into her neck, drinking from her.

 _No, no I can't lose her._

"Roza!" I yelled, lifting myself up to my feet to pull him away from her. I had to protect her. I had to do something.

Before I could, Eddie snuck up behind Mason and staked him. It wasn't enough I had to help her.

"Rose!"

I had to get to her and I would have been out of the Church if the next few moments didn't paralyse me. With speed that I had never seen someone have, not even a strigoi, Rose had her hand around Mason's neck and she lifted him up from the ground. I was too stunned to move. Vasilisa behind me had gone silent and Eddie was frozen, watching what was happening.

I heard the sound of bone breaking that sent chills down my spine. Immediately, Rose pushed her hand into Mason's chest and pulled his heart out. I couldn't even focus on protecting the Princess anymore, not with what I had seen with my own eyes.

How did she just do that? How did she even move so fast? How was she able to break his bones with one hand and how did she rip his heart out? That was something I hadn't even heard of strigoi doing.

She dropped Mason to the ground and looked over at me. Her usual beautiful brown eyes slowly appeared as the blackness in her eyes disappeared and the wound on her neck healed. I couldn't explain it. I couldn't comprehend what that was. I unconsciously pushed Vasilisa behind me, frightened for the both of us. My grip on my stake tightened and I didn't dare move any closer to Rose.

"What are you?" I asked.

My voice sounded strong and dangerous but inside my heart was breaking. She wasn't a dhampir that was for sure because no one could do that.

"Dimitri," she whispered, tears glistening in her eyes. "I'm so sorry."

And then she was gone as soon as I blinked. I wanted to collapse to my knees but I needed to stay strong for the Princess and Eddie.

"What was that? How did Rose do that?" Vasilisa was hysterical. "Is Mason dead? And oh my god Christian. We have to get Christian!"

She tried to run past me but I grabbed her and put an arm around her shoulder to hopefully calm her down.

"Let me go! I need to find Christian!"

"Princess," I said sternly, forcing her to look at me. "We will find him but you cannot go running off. There are still strigoi out there."

I would never dare to raise my voice at a royal moroi under normal circumstances but this was far from normal. She shut up and I pulled her along with me over to Eddie. He was kneeling beside Mason and it took more than a few tries to get Eddie to move.

The sun was slowly appearing over the horizon and from a distance, I could see a few remaining strigoi retreating. That was one problem solved, for now. The sun would burn the bodies of the dead strigoi but I had to get Eddie and Lissa to safety and then find Rose. My mind was on a hundred different things but I kept replaying the scene of Mason's death and Rose's behaviour, if that was even the appropriate word.

"Belikov!" We were almost inside the academy and I saw Alberta and Guardian Alto running over to us.

"Are they okay?"

I simply nodded. "They just saw Mason Ashford as a strigoi, he was killed. They're still in shock and Christian Ozera was taken."

"A lot of our people were taken," Alberta said sadly.

Lissa and Eddie were sent to the infirmary to get checked up on and I went on my search to find Rose. Nothing made sense. I couldn't think straight and all that was running through my mind was to find Rose. I pushed the doors open, stepping into the hallway when I saw Adrian, Abe and a guardian with them who I assumed to be Pavel. Without thinking, I quickened my pace and stepped in front of them, blocking their path.

"Where is she?" I growled.

Adrian watched me closely and then his eyes widened.

"Where is who?" asked Abe.

"Rose, who else?" I was starting to lose my temper. All I wanted was to find her.

"We don't know where she is. I thought she would be with you," he answered.

I ran a hand through my hair. "As you can see, she isn't."

Adrian leaned towards Abe. "He knows."

Abe closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm going to kill that little girl."

They weren't going to help me and they were acting really weird. I know? Know what? There was something that came to mind but I pushed it away. It can't be true. I kept walking thinking about where she would be. The gym. I started running and ignored the glances that I received. When I arrived there, sure enough, Rose was standing in the middle of the gym with her back towards me.

"I thought you might find me here."

"What are you?" I asked harshly.

The same thought from earlier crossed my mind but I just couldn't bring myself to believe it. Slowly, she turned around and the distraught look on her face made me want to pull her into my arms so I could comfort her. I resisted.

"I'm not like moroi or dhampir. I'm different and it's easier to be unseen than to be in the spotlight. At least this way, people don't have a choice but to respect me," she replied monotonously.

At first that made no sense and then I remembered that they were the exact same words that the Dark One had said to me when I had asked them why they didn't want to be seen. The earlier thought flooded my mind and I felt the realisation hit me, everything falling into place.

Abe was working closely with the Dark One and Rose-his daughter-just happened to start as a new student, she was an incredibly skilled fighter, more impressive than some guardians. I would sometimes see her sneak out of her classes early, that time I saw blood on her neck and she had brushed it off as a scratch, during the obstacle training when I thought she broke her wrist, it really did break but she managed to heal within a matter of a few seconds. Like the bite from Mason.

Everything I had seen in the battle was solid proof that she wasn't a dhampir like she claimed to be. She was stronger, faster and she healed quicker than a strigoi. Rose is the Dark One. The girl that I had developed strong feelings for, the girl that I was starting to fall in love with is also the same person who had been killing hundreds of strigoi around the world. My Roza wasn't who I thought she was.

"Dimitri," she spoke softly snapping me out of my thoughts.

I couldn't do this. This was too much for me and I started to back away.

"I…I need time to think."

Rose's face fell and a part of me wanted to kiss her worries away but the other part of me couldn't believe the secret she had kept from me. She made no move to come closer to me so I spun on my heel and hurried out of the gym. I kept walking until I reached my room, shutting the door behind me and leaning against it. Burying my face in my hands, I had a bit of a mental breakdown. This was not what I expected.

* * *

 **RPOV**

"Please just eat something."

Adrian had been trying to convince me to eat however not even food could make me feel better. Instead I leaned into him and clutched onto his shirt and let out everything that I had held in.

"Oh Rose." He stroked my hair with one hand and the other was around me, pulling me close to him.

I was crying it all out. Dimitri knew the truth and so did Lissa, I had killed Mason in the most ruthless way possible while Eddie was watching and had let Christian get kidnapped. I couldn't take it anymore. The darkness screwed me over and I felt my heart tighten painfully.

 _I wish my mother were here._ She was the one person I wanted right now.

When I had quieted down, I pulled away from Adrian to see the front of his shirt soaked.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled. Ugh I was a mess.

"It's fine little dhampir, though I am worried about you." He wasn't kidding, I could hear it in his voice and see it in his eyes.

I cleared my throat and stood up. "I need to take a shower."

"Of course, I'll swing by your room and get you some clothes."

Thanking him, I made my way to the bathroom and started shedding my clothes. I felt dirty and I couldn't stop feeling awful about what I had done to Mason. I had hurt Eddie once again and I know I needed to apologise, if that would even make a difference. Dimitri probably hated me right now and I was too caught up in my own grief to help Lissa. She literally had to watch her boyfriend get kidnapped.

I took my time in the shower, thoroughly washing my hair and body to get clean. Once I was done, I wrapped myself in a towel to walk into Adrian's bedroom where my clothes had been laid out. I was grateful that he was still here. He had cancelled his flight until it was safe to leave, which wouldn't be until much later. I slipped into a pair of jeans, a tight-fitted top and my jacket. Walking over to the mirror, I brushed my blow-dried hair until it was in soft waves and stared at myself.

I am the Dark One. Everyone out there is relying on me and I had to do my duty. Christian and several other students along with teachers were taken and I wasn't going to sit around and let them be turned. I had to do something. Closing my eyes, I breathed in deeply and cleared my mind, letting go of any negative emotion. Opening my eyes, I saw the fire in them, not from the darkness but from the determination of doing what I was born to do. I had to get the guardians on board with organising a rescue mission.

"Rose where do you think you're going?"

Adrian blocked my way to the door. "I have to help everyone who was taken. Christian is gone because I didn't fight hard enough and I need to get him back."

He didn't say anything. "Adrian, you know I have to do this."

Reluctantly, he moved away. "It's Belikov isn't it?"

I glanced up at him. "What?"

"Belikov, he's the one who you've been getting close to. He came to us looking for you and his aura lit up when your name was mentioned. Are you seriously hooking up with your teacher?"

On a normal day I would be panicking, however I couldn't care less about how Adrian was feeling about my relationship with Dimitri.

"We can talk about it later," I muttered and left his room.

I walked as fast as I could down to guardian headquarters and as I predicted, most of them were present. They all looked exhausted, distraught and were sporting minor injuries. Abe also happened to be present and apparently I had arrived just in time to hear them speak about the Dark One.

"-they had to be the reason why so many strigoi were killed."

"Did anything actually see who it was?"

"I didn't, even though I tried really hard to focus. They moved so quickly how is that even possible?"

I stepped inside the room but no one paid attention to me except for Abe. He gave me a look asking if I was okay and I nodded in response.

"Mr Mazur? Was it the Dark One?"

The guardians were fixated on Abe waiting for his answer. He glanced at me and I nodded again letting him know that it was okay to tell them the truth.

"Yes, it was. They didn't want to be seen but they wanted to help as much as they could."

"That explains how some of the strigoi's had their neck snapped," said Stan.

He clearly looked impressed, most of them did but I knew that they didn't entirely trust the Dark One. Alberta caught sight of me.

"Rose what are you doing here? You should be at the infirmary."

Everyone's head turned towards me and I took that as my cue to walk to the front next to Alberta and Abe.

"We need to organise a rescue mission for the people who were taken."

That single statement caused an argument. Some thought it was ridiculous and a few thought it would be a good idea. Alberta held her hand up to silence everyone.

"Rose even if we wanted to, we don't know where they are."

"They can't be far, the sun only came out a couple of hours ago and they need somewhere close to hide out."

Guardian Jean spoke up, "That doesn't help with knowing where they could be."

I bit my lip. "I might know how to find out."

Ten minutes later after retrieving Jesse and Ralf they were seated inside the guardian meeting room. I thought I would struggle to get them to wake up but all I had to do was shake them. Don't know how it worked but it did. Alberta and Stan had been questioning them furiously trying to gather as much information as possible. I was leaning against the wall, impatiently waiting for it to be done. The more time we spent here the less time we had to save the others.

While they were being interrogated about the strigoi's location, Dimitri walked in, his guardian mask firmly in place. We made eye contact and as much as I wanted to go up to him, I stayed where I was. The last thing I wanted to do was scare him off. He said he needed time and that's exactly what I would give him. Thankfully, he was like Eddie and I trusted him not to tell anyone about me. Abe was giving me a weird look after seeing Dimitri and I stare at each other making me avert my gaze to focus on Jesse and Ralf.

Alberta stood up. "Okay, there's a cave not too far from the academy, close enough to travel on foot. I want to gather as many guardians as possible to come with us on the rescue mission."

"What about these two?" asked Stan.

Abe stepped forward. "Leave them with me. I have to inform Queen Tatiana of their crime and they will be taken to court soon."

I grabbed Alberta's arm. "I'm coming with you."

"I'm guessing you're not going to give me a choice. You can come but you have to do as we say. You and I are also going to have a chat about how you found out it was Jesse and Ralf and how you knew strigoi were here."

I was going to have to find a way to get out of that one. She went straight into barking out orders and positions. It was hard to concentrate with Dimitri in the same room but I had to focus. My main concern right now is finding Christian, alive and bringing him back. A part of me was hoping that would compensate for freaking Lissa out. I had made sure to avoid her but Adrian had let me know that she was at the infirmary trying to help out with healing the injured.

"Okay, now that we're set let's get going," said Alberta, handing out earpieces.

There were about twenty-five of us, which, wasn't a lot compared to the strigoi but definitely a lot of guardians in general. It was going to have to do. Sunset was quite far away so we had the sun as an advantage. Dimitri fell into step with me causing my heartbeat to quicken. I wanted to know how he was doing but I was afraid of what he might say, in fear that he would reject me. I wouldn't blame him though, I would be freaked out too if I were him.

"How are you doing?" I asked quietly.

He kept his eyes straight ahead. "I'm fine. When we get back you have a lot of explaining to do."

As expected. "I'll answer any questions you have."

His guardian mask didn't budge. "Who else knows?"

"Abe, Adrian, Eddie, Tatiana and now you and Lissa."

Our conversation was cut short when Stan shouted that we needed to start running and that's what we did. I slowed down to match my pace with the others. It didn't take long for us to go there. There were about four entry points and we were all divided up in small groups. I was supposed to be outside to help with the survivors but I was never really a good listener.

Quickly without anyone seeing I entered the cave and it was pitch black. It would be hard for any moroi or dhampir to see, not me though. I could sense a few strigoi nearby and moved towards them. There was a big area where they were about three strigoi and six students that I recognised. Among them was Christian sitting on the ground glaring at the strigoi with a scowl on his face. I almost smiled feeling proud that he didn't show them any fear. I stepped out from the shadows and the strigoi sensed me behind them.

I turned to the students and pointed down the way I came. "Run."

They scrambled to their feet and the strigoi didn't try to stop them. They were too focused on me. Christian was the only one who didn't follow them.

"Christian go."

"No, I can help." One of the strigoi's burst into flames.

It made it easy to stake them and there were only two left. Protecting Christian was important, I stood in front of him and fought both strigoi at once. It didn't take that long to take them down. Their moves were sloppy and uncoordinated. I could tell Christian was tired especially with the lack of blood and he must have been using his magic on the strigoi down here.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine, is Lissa safe?"

"She's okay, just freaking out over losing you."

He looked relieved. "Better me than her."

We were about to leave when a voice spoke from the shadows. "My goodness, my eyes must be deceiving me."

I pushed Christian behind me, clutching my stake and saw a strigoi come into view. He was tall, almost as tall as Dimitri, being a moroi prior to being awakened. He had black hair and brown eyes with a red ring around them. He was giving off a decorous vibe and just by looking at him I could tell he was old and powerful.

"Rosemarie Hathaway, oh how long I have waited until this day." He smiled coldly, showing off his fangs.

My glared hardened. "Who are you and how do you know me?"

"Ah, where are my manners? I'm Isaiah."

Honestly, it was kind of how I pictured him. That didn't explain how he knew me and as if he could read my mind, he continued.

"You look just like your mother. I can sense some of her fighting spirit in you."

My blood ran cold. He took pleasure in my reaction and stepped closer.

"Unfortunately Janine didn't survive, perhaps you will."

My mother's dead body flashed in my mind triggering the darkness and rage allowing it to travel through every part of me.

"You killed her."

His smile widened. "Yes dear, I'm quite proud of it too."

I was going to kill him.

 **AN: Isaiah is the one who killed Janine! I had someone ask me if I was going to do a sequel and at first I wasn't planning on it but is that something you guys would like? If so then I'll probably end this story with a cliffhanger. Maybe in the sequel you want the world to find out who the Dark One is or see Rose and Dimitri on missions together. If you're not sure then don't worry I'll be asking again in a later chapter but let me know if a sequel is something you would want. Chapter 24 has been written just need to edit it and read over it a few more times, it should be up soon. Thank you so much for reading, I appreciate it xoxo Good luck to anyone who have exams like I do! Have a good day/night :D**


	24. Immortality Is Not Stable

**AN: Hello Lovelies! Thank you to all the reviews on the last chapter, especially those who want a sequel. I'm not quite done with this story just yet, there are going to be a few more chapters before I start on the sequel, although I am starting to plan a few things. I am working on how I'll be ending this story that will make a good transition into the sequel. Shout out to Yuzzyus for your awesome ideas that really helped and for suggesting a sequel in the first place! :) And thank you for all the favourites and follows, you're all amazing! Anyway, here's chapter 24, enjoy!**

 **RPOV**

I wanted to slap that stupid smirk off of Isaiah's face. All I could think about was my mother's dead body and I imagined Isaiah being one of the many strigoi who killed her. I felt different emotions all at once and I couldn't process the fact that this man in front of me is the one who murdered my mother.

"Why?" I croaked.

"She just happened to be there. You were the one who I was after."

My breathing quickened and my heart was pounding in my chest. "What do you want with me?"

He chuckled. "You're not as good as you think you are at hiding who you really are. Does your friend here know?"

I had forgotten Christian was here after Isaiah just dropped that bomb on me.

"Ah, he doesn't. Well allow me to fill him in."

Growling, I held out my stake warning him off. "Leave him out of it."

"Rose what is he talking about?"

"Nothing, ignore him."

Isaiah was finding this all amusing. "Rosemarie here is the Dark One. The Dark One is Rosemarie. She is well known among the strigoi. After you sent one of my followers with a message to me, I couldn't wait to meet you."

"Rose is that true? You're the Dark One?"

I didn't answer him. Too many people were finding out about my secret. "Christian go."

"Rose-"

"I said go!" I roared, the rage really kicking in.

He looked taken aback by my outburst but thankfully scurried down the dark tunnel.

"This can go two ways. One, you will allow me the honour of awakening you and rule by my side or two, I will have the honour of killing you."

I moved to the side and he mirrored my movement. "You can't kill or awaken me."

"Hmm, immortality is not stable. It may exist but there is a loophole. I intend on finding out yours."

"Be my guest. You've been warned though, you'll die trying."

Getting impatient, I attacked him and although fighting him took more effort, I was still stronger. Instead of just relying on my stake, I punched him and I couldn't stop. I thought that if I punched harder, kicked harder and caused as much pain as possible on Isaiah, then it would finally make me feel better about my mother's death. I wanted him to suffer and I wanted him to feel what it was like to lose. He couldn't feel it emotionally cause he was a heartless bastard but he could certainly feel it physically.

"You might be strong Dark One," he grunted. "However, not strong enough to take me."

"Oh how wrong you are."

I kept throwing hits at him, forcing him onto the defensive side as I let all my frustrations and anger out. How dare he take away someone I loved? The fact that she was dead because Isaiah was after me was a thought that kept entering my mind.

 _She's dead because of me._

Using my stake, I pushed it into his neck and he let out a strangled cry. It didn't kill him though I would have to completely decapitate him. Pulling the stake out, memories of Janine, Abe and I flashed through my mind. We didn't always get along but I loved my parents more than anything. She might have been a stern lady, yet she was also one of the most caring people I knew. I owed it to her to avenge her death. This was for her.

I kicked Isaiah in the stomach, his back hitting the hard ground and I used my knee to push down on his chest. One of my hands held both of his down and the other was raised in the air, prepared to take away his life. I welcomed the rage, making myself vulnerable to it, feeling everything inside me and around me become a cloud of darkness. I brought the stake down on his neck over and over again.

I was lost in all the shadows that I hadn't realised within a few seconds Isaiah was dead. His head had been decapitated. I didn't move away immediately, instead I stared at him without actually paying attention to him. Tears blurred my vision and at first I felt nothing. Then it hit me all at once, knocking the breath out of me. Letting the tears fall, I slowly moved away dropping my stake and curled up into a ball, my arms wrapping around my legs.

The empty hole in me that had been there since I lost my mother reappeared. I held myself together as tightly as I could to keep myself from falling apart. I had dreamt of this moment hoping that when it came, I would finally feel free and it would help me move on. I couldn't say that I felt free but I felt something that made me feel slightly better and that was enough for now. I could hear someone coming closer through the tunnel but I didn't care whether or not it was a strigoi.

"Roza."

I immediately quietened down and lifted my head to see Dimitri and Alberta. He was watching me and Alberta was examining Isaiah's body.

"Rose did you do this?" she asked.

Not being able to speak, I simply nodded once. They were both astonished that I had used a stake to cut a strigoi's head off. I was too.

"I'm going to try and find the others, help her get out of here."

Dimitri was beside me in a flash while Alberta disappeared into the tunnels. He brushed my hair out of my face and lifted my head so he could look at me. His guardian mask was gone, now replaced with raw emotion. I didn't know if he was mad or upset with me and right now, it was the last thing I wanted to think about. I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around him, resting my head in the crook of his neck.

His arms immediately went around me and he murmured a string of words in Russian. I had no idea what he was saying but it was soothing to listen to. All I wanted right now was something to make me feel. Something to warm my heart after all the darkness I had taken in. Something to fill that empty void in me. I needed Dimitri. He kissed my hair softly and helped me stand.

"Come on Roza, we need to get out of here."

"He killed her," I blurted out. "Isaiah killed my mother."

Dimitri looked broken and I knew the feeling. He wanted to help but he didn't know how. Besides now wasn't the right time, we had to get out before more strigoi came. He gently pulled me along with him and helped me climb out of the cave. Stan shouted an order to start heading back to the academy. We began running and I relied on Dimitri to guide me back as I allowed myself to get caught up in my thoughts.

Too much had happened in such a short amount of time. I had never been this devastated by a mission since this one made me face situations that crushed my heart and re-opened old wounds. We reached the academy and crossed over the wards that had been replaced.

There was a small crowd and among them was Christian. He saw me and made his way over, doing something very un-Christian like. He hugged me. Not just a quick one-second hug, it was one where he swept me into his arms and hugged me as close to him as he could. I automatically returned the hug.

"Thank you for coming back to save me."

He pulled back and stepped away. "I'll keep your secret, you have my word."

I didn't expect him to be accepting but he seemed unfazed by it. It was nice to finally have someone that didn't freak out over it.

"Thank you. You should find Lissa, she's out of her mind worrying about you."

Not needing to tell him twice he left and Dimitri placed a hand on my shoulder. As much as I wanted to stay with him, I needed to find Abe and Adrian.

"We can talk if you want," he offered.

"Maybe later, there's something I need to go do first."

Understanding that I needed time to process everything, he let me go and I went to Adrian's room knowing that's where they would be. I let myself in and they both leapt up, rushing over to me.

"Rose are you okay?" fussed Adrian.

I didn't want to think about what I looked like. Abe was standing behind him and the earlier emotion settled in. I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around him, not even bothering to hold back the tears. It was very unusual for me to feel this emotional but after everything I had gone through, I needed at least a moment to feel and open up to the emotions that were swirling around me. To feel pain, anger, despair and guilt.

He held me and smoothed my hair down. I felt Adrian's hand on my back, offering me extra comfort. I was incredibly lucky to have people in my life that loved me unconditionally and knowing that they would always be there for me. We stayed like that for a while when I finally pulled away and gave them the rundown of everything that had happened. Telling Abe about Isaiah was the hardest part.

"That's how Callum knew who you were. Isaiah compelled him to watch the two of you. Everything makes sense now."

Silence fell between us and Adrian stood up giving us a moment of privacy.

"It was my fault," I whispered. "They were looking for me and she died instead."

Abe pulled me to him. "It is not your fault Rose. You didn't know that they were watching."

"I should have known," I cried out. "If I had known or if I had stayed with her then she would still be here."

He breathed in sharply. "We both left her because we knew that she was capable of taking care of herself. Your mother died protecting you and she wouldn't have it any other way."

"I miss her so much," I mumbled into his chest.

Abe sighed. "I miss her too. She would be proud of the woman you have become."

It felt weird hearing that since I had made a lot of brutal killings mixed with the darkness. Something that I wasn't all too proud of.

Adrian returned with a mug of cocoa and I drank it greedily. "Does Tatiana know?"

"Yes, she has sent four guardians to retrieve Jesse and Ralf," said Abe. "They're going to be locked up for a very long time. It'll take a while for everything to go back to normal but all threat has been rid of. Thanks to you Rose."

It finally hit me that the mission was over. I had no reason to stay anymore and with any other assignment, I would be packing my bags, eager to move onto the next assignment. That was the last thing I wanted to do since there was so much unfinished business I needed to take care of.

"I have to go do a few things. Adrian call me before you leave so I can say goodbye okay?"

"Sure thing little dhampir."

First, I needed to find Eddie and apologise to him. After asking around I was told that he was last seen at the Church. That was literally the last place I wanted to go but it was important that I talk to Eddie. There was no sign of dead strigoi meaning someone had cleaned it up, although the Church still have a broken window. I stepped inside and for once, the Church no longer felt peaceful, instead it felt cold. Not just physically but there was coldness to it that I couldn't shake.

Eddie was sitting in one of the pews staring straight ahead and it took me back to the moment when I was here with Dimitri. Hesitantly, I made my way over and joined him worried that this could be the end of our friendship. He didn't say anything when I sat down beside him and I figured it was up to me to bring it up.

Taking a deep breath I said, "I'm really sorry about what I did to Mason and that you had to see it. As much as I want to blame it on the darkness I absorbed, I can't. I take full responsibility of what I did to him."

He still wasn't looking at me. "At first, I was furious with you for doing that to him but then I realised that Mason was gone a long time ago. That wasn't him, he was dead the moment he was turned."

I choked up. "I shouldn't have killed him the way I did."

Eddie turned to me, trying his hardest to stay composed. "I'm glad you were the one who did because there was no way I could bring myself to kill him. Even if he was a strigoi."

How could he be this calm about it?

"Rose what darkness were you talking about?" he asked.

"When I kill strigoi, I take their dark spirits and take it upon myself. Considering the number of strigoi I killed, I possessed a large amount of darkness that fuels an overwhelming rage in me. I lose control of everything when it happens."

He moved his hand to place it over mine. "Why didn't you tell me?"

I shrugged. "It wasn't a problem until the battle. I had never taken in such a large quantity so it was never something to be too concerned about."

"That's why your eyes turned black and why you killed Mason the way you did."

Squeezing his hand, I tried to offer him comfort. "I wasn't thinking clearly."

"It's not your fault Rose," he murmured. "You didn't know him and at least now, Mason is free."

I leaned my head against his shoulder. "You don't hate me?"

"I could never hate you. This is going to be something hard to move on from but I'll be fine."

We stayed like that for a bit before he spoke again. "Your mission is over isn't it?"

I sighed heavily. "Yeah it is but I have a lot of unfinished business to take care of."

"Does that mean you're going to be leaving soon?"

It was a good question. I was done here but I didn't want to go anywhere. There was an assignment waiting for me in New Orleans and I knew I had to get there soon. I didn't want to leave just yet.

Lifting my head, I looked at him. "I don't know. I'm not ready to go but I can't live the normal life dhampir's do. My responsibility is to be the Dark One and that means travelling constantly so I can help as many people as I can."

He was disappointed with my answer and I wished it didn't have to be this way. I genuinely had no idea how this was going to work.

"Promise me something?"

"What is it?" I asked.

"Promise me that no matter where you go, you won't forget that I will always be here for you. If you ever need anything I'm more than happy to help you Rose. These past few weeks were my hardest times and I was only able to get through them because of you."

I was touched. "Of course Eddie and you will always have me too."

Throwing my arms around him, I hugged him tightly savouring the moment. Eddie was someone that I would remember for the rest of my life. It was rare to find a person like him, someone who was dedicated to his duties, who was fiercely loyal and had one of the kindest hearts. It may not show under his seriousness but it was there and I knew that I would miss him.

"I should go," I said, pulling away. "I need to talk to Lissa, Christian and Dimitri."

A look crossed his face. "You two are close aren't you?"

"Who?"

"You and Guardian Belikov." Apparently everyone was not only finding out my secret but also my feelings for Dimitri. I was literally coming undone on this mission.

"Yeah we are," I admitted reluctantly.

"I thought so. The way he ran after you when you were trying to get to the Church and how you saved him. He looked worried when Mason drank from you. I didn't expect you to be involved with your mentor."

Avoiding his gaze, I fiddled with the sleeves of my top. He touched my chin and lifted my head back up.

"There's no judgement here Rose. You deserve to be happy and honestly, after the seeing the way you two were around each other, I saw how much you cared for one another."

I felt relived by his acceptance. "I don't know how much longer that will last on his end. He found out about me and in one of the most worst ways."

"If his feelings for you are as strong as I think it is, it won't change what you have."

"Thanks Eddie," I whispered, giving him a small smile.

We parted ways and I went to find Lissa and Christian. Although I wanted to sort everything out with Dimitri, I knew that I had to offer an explanation to Lissa and Christian first. I checked the infirmary and Christians room but they weren't there so I finally headed down to Lissa's room. I knocked on the door and waited for her to open it. Christian opened the door, surprised that I was here.

"Is she here?"

He stepped aside, letting me walk inside just as Lissa appeared around the corner. "Christian, who is-"

Her words fell short when she saw me, like she was in shock. This would be so much easier to deal with if I could just compel them to forget my secret. I felt like I owed them the truth and honestly, I didn't care anymore about who found out.

"Hear her out Liss," said Christian as he pulled her to the couch. At least he was on my side.

She finally found her voice. "What I saw last night…that was not normal."

I sat down across from them, keeping enough distance to make sure she didn't feel uncomfortable.

"I know, I'm here to tell you both everything."

And I did. I launched into my story right from the beginning and it was nice to say everything out loud to them. I wasn't as close to them as I was with Eddie but they were still my friends. They helped me while I was here and adjusting would have been hard without them.

They both remained quiet, Christian remained emotionless, occasionally frowning and Lissa listened closely. By the time I was finished, I was mentally exhausted knowing that I would have to go through this again with Dimiti. Lissa stood up and enveloped me in a hug, a reaction that I wasn't expecting.

"I can't believe that you've had to keep this a secret your entire life."

I patted her back gently. "It's a little easier than you would think plus I wasn't alone."

"Yes but you had to pretend to be a dhampir in front of everyone."

Smiling, I said, "It's okay Lissa, it's what I'm trained to do."

"And you saved Christian. Thank you for saving him."

Lissa was getting emotional and I didn't know how to handle it. I sent a pleading look to Christian and he smirked while standing up to pull Lissa away from me.

"Let her breathe Liss. She's right though Rose, you did save my life. Thank you again."

All this complimenting was making me blush I wasn't use to it so I defaulted to making a joke.

"Someone had to, no one else was going to do it."

He smiled. "I'm glad you told us the truth. So what now? The mission is over, does that mean you're going to leave?"

Lissa's eyes widened. "But you can't leave, I mean can't you continue here? Graduation isn't that far away."

"I have to before the molnija ceremony, I think they would have a lot of questions about my tattoos."

"Your tattoos?"

I turned around and showed them my marks, starting from my neck and ending down my back. I heard Christian mutter something along the lines of 'unbelievable.'

"That's probably the most badass thing I have ever seen."

Pulling my shirt down, I eyed them closely. "You two are weirdly calm about all of this."

"Rose you have done so much for everyone, including us," started Lissa. "Honestly, I was scared when you…you know the thing with Mason. Despite that you are giving up living the way you want to live your life in order to protect everyone around you."

Christian cut in. "Don't get us wrong, this is still really weird but Lissa is right. We're alive because of you and for that we are grateful. In return, we're both here if you ever need anything."

My life wasn't perfect but the people in my life certainly made it feel that way. Thanking them, I hugged them both and made my way to the door.

"There's something I have to go do but I'll talk to you two later before I have to go."

We said a brief goodbye and I felt the nerves kick in as I approached the guardian dorms. Facing Eddie, Lissa and Christian wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It went much better than I had expected. I had a hard time believing that was how it was going to be with Dimitri.

It was different with him because we were romantically involved. I had to ignore the voice that kept trying to talk me out of this knowing that it was better to deal with it now than drag it out. I waited for him to answer the door after I had knocked. Within a few seconds he opened the door as if he were expecting me.

"I'm ready to talk."

 **AN: How do you think the talk between Rose and Dimitri is going to go? Rose has finally come clean to Lissa and Christian and they accept her for who she is. And Eddie and Rose are still on great terms. Anyway, I have an exam in two days so when I get home from it, I will upload chapter 25 for all of you. Despite my exams I'll do what I can to have consistent uploading. Don't forget to let me know if you would like a sequel. Thank you so much for reading xoxo Have a good day/night! :D**


	25. He Means Everything To Me

**AN: First exam down, yay! Now two more to go, can't wait for the exam period to be over haha. Thank you to everyone for the favourites, follows and welcome to any new readers :) I can't believe how close we are to the end of this story before a new one starts it's gone by so quickly. Also, a huge thank you to all the reviews, you guys are so incredibly sweet xo Anyway, here is chapter 25, enjoy!**

 **DPOV**

There were so many questions I wanted to ask. I couldn't believe that after all this time of wanting to know the identity of the Dark One, they had been right in front of me. When I had found her in the caves next to Isaiah's dead body, my heart broke looking at her. Rose had to face the person who took away her mother and I understood how difficult that could be.

Which is why I let her come to me when she was ready. I was sitting on the edge of my bed and she was standing in the middle of the room, looking anywhere but at me. It had been like this for about five minutes and I didn't think I could take it anymore. Looking at her closely, I could see how nervous she was. This didn't change how I felt about her but I couldn't help but feel cautious around her. I didn't know her as well as I thought and because of that, it was hard to trust her.

"Tell me everything," I said.

I was actually still kind of mad at her for keeping this secret from me. All I wanted was for her to open up to me and let me in. I couldn't take not knowing anymore.

Rose crossed her arms over her chest and finally spoke. "I'm not a dhampir, I might look like one but I'm of a different race of vampires. I'm a Draugr."

With that she told me everything and I listened without interrupting. She told me everything about being a Draugr-her abilities, the darkness, her purpose, the previous Draugr's before her and how she found out what she is. She spoke of missions that she went on and the Zvezda marks down her back, which shocked me. I couldn't believe she had made that many kills. She explained the details of the mission she had here and her relationship with Sydney and Adrian.

"I met Sydney first, it was through Abe actually. She was secretly working for him after he had done her a favour and Abe thought it would be a good idea if I had someone to help me out with my missions when he couldn't. She would give me locations of strigoi hide-outs and organise my assignments."

A small smile spread across her face but her eyes were filled with sadness. Rose still missed her.

"Sydney hated the idea of being around vampires but to be around someone like me scared her even more. Eventually, the more we worked together the more she became at ease. Slowly she became like a sister to me and we've been inseparable ever since."

"And Adrian?"

She laughed quietly. "I met Adrian when I was undercover on an assignment in Las Vegas. It was at a casino and the first thing that he noticed was my aura, he said it stood out."

"What's so different about your aura?" She had told me about Adrian being a spirit-user like Vaslilisa a while ago.

"He said that it was covered in black and that the shadows around me grew. There were even hints of silver, something that he had never seen before and now we know that it's a colour that only Draugr's must have."

"These shadows are because of the darkness right?"

She nodded and I let her continue. "Adrian was irritatingly annoying, he kept getting in the way when I was trying to watch someone. He did pick up on what I was doing and knew that I wasn't a regular dhampir. I thought that would be the last time I would see him but I found out that he was a friend of Abe's. It was hard to hide my secret with him being around all the time and even though he annoyed me a lot, we did get along. I know I could have used compulsion but I've always felt weird using it on people that I care about. He became my best friend and then he met Sydney and I'm sure you know how that story goes."

I could imagine. "Sydney didn't like Adrian but I'm guessing he was persistent."

Her smile grew and I was glad she was sort of starting to get back to her usual self.

"Those two were complicating my life, I literally had to force those two together and now I'm pretty sure marriage for them isn't too far away."

"How did you know what you were?" Seeing her smile was making me want to kiss her but I still had questions.

"Sydney helped. My parents knew what I was since Alistair was alive before I was born but Sydney was the one who told me everything I needed to know. It's what helped us become closer. It was the kind of thing she was interested in."

"And this darkness, is there anything to stop it?"

Her smile disappeared. "No, we haven't been able to find anything and honestly, I don't think we will. I exist only because I serve the purpose of sacrificing myself to protect others."

A huge lump developed in my throat. Rose was only seventeen; she had her whole life ahead of her yet she couldn't live it the way she wanted. She had it worse than guardians. It was hard to comprehend that the weight of the world was on her shoulders and it was her responsibility to carry it all by herself.

"And you're immortal? You don't age?"

She nodded, looking down at her hands. "If a species was going to be created to take down strigoi, it had to be one that was more powerful. As for aging, Alistair remained twenty-five for years so I suppose that will happen to me as well. That is if the darkness doesn't take over."

"You can be killed though," I stated.

"Yes, but I would have to compel them to kill me, I highly doubt anyone could do so against my will."

Silence fell between us and all my different emotions diffused, including my anger, except for one. Sadness.

"Roza why didn't you tell me?"

Her eyes met mine and her expression faltered. She moved towards me and took my hands in hers.

"I'm sorry but one it has to be a secret and two, I was worried that it would change things between us. I was worried that you would see me differently and not want to be with me."

Did she honestly believe that I wouldn't accept her? Yes I was shocked and angry at her, at first but now that she explained it to me. I could understand why she didn't tell me. It didn't matter to me that she's a Draugr, although it was going to take some time to wrap my head around it. I removed my hands from hers and cupped her face.

"All that matters to me is that you know that you can confide in me about anything. This doesn't change how I feel about you but I wish you had told me sooner. I can't be mad at you when you saved me. Mason would have drunk from me but you took that upon yourself. You are self-less and that's one of the many reasons why I love you. I love you Roza, not even this secret could change that."

Her expression shifted and she breathed in sharply.

"You love me?"

I immediately froze. It was the first time that I had said those words out loud and I knew that it was still early but it was true. I love her. Hopefully, those words didn't scare her off.

"Yes I do."

She wrapped her arms around my neck and I pulled her into my lap. Her breathing was heavy and her grip on me tightened. I felt bad that I had put her under so much pressure to talk to me but I was glad she had finally told me everything. She buried her face into my neck, placing soft kisses and I played with her hair, feeling content to have her back in my arms.

"I'm so sorry you had to see me kill Mason. I couldn't control myself with the darkness taking over. I genuinely believed that I would lose you."

"You're not going to lose me," I said firmly, pulling away to look her.

Our lips met and I kissed her passionately. After what we had been through I was desperate to have her as close to me as possible. My hand was tangled in her hair and my other hand was under her shirt, stroking her back. She moved her legs so that they were on either side of me.

It was times like these where we would be caught up in the moment that I wanted more but I had to remind myself that even though she wasn't technically my student since she was undercover, she might not be ready for that. Besides, I would want that moment to be special. We pulled away, gasping for air and I brushed her hair away from her face wanting to stare into her gorgeous brown eyes.

"Do you mind if I stay the night? I don't want to be alone."

"Of course not."

An entire night of having her in my arms and waking up to her tomorrow morning? There was no way I was going to decline. I gently moved her from my lap and stood up.

"I'll get you a shirt for you to change into."

I was about to walk over to my closet when she reached out and grabbed my hand. Turning back to her, I saw her eyes sparkle.

"I love you too Comrade."

Hearing her say those words brought a smile to my face. I couldn't be happier than I was right now to have the most beautiful person look at me with so much love in her eyes. I never thought I would get a chance like this and now that I had it, it was one of the best feelings in the world. My mother would be happy. I couldn't wait to tell her.

* * *

 **RPOV**

The moment when you first wake up without a single worry in the world before reality sets in has been the only good thing about mornings. That was before I realised that I wasn't alone in bed. Dimitri was lying beside me, holding me and I snuggled closer to him. If my mornings were like this every day then I would gladly wake up without a single complaint. I lightly ran my fingers over his chest drawing random patterns and let out a content sigh.

Most of my problems were gone. I found out who was behind the kidnappings, Jesse and Ralf will be sent to Court far away so they won't be hurting anyone, Eddie, Christian and Lissa were safe and accepted the real me. Dimitri and I were stronger than before and I had avenged my mother's death. Not everything was perfect but I was feeling pretty good about my life.

There was one problem, I was no longer needed here and I had to keep moving. I had never been this reluctant to leave an assignment behind though I hadn't ever made friends or fallen in love because of a mission. Was leaving a good idea? What would that mean for Dimitri and me? Could I even bring myself to leave? I had to continue the Draugr bloodline and that couldn't be done with another dhampir it had to be with a moroi or human.

Suddenly the calmness of this morning disappeared and I started to worry about what was yet to come. I didn't want to lose Dimitri I can't even begin to imagine a life without him. He stirred slightly and I knew he was waking up. I had to leave it aside for now and come back to it later. Right now I wanted to enjoy my time with him, in case I wouldn't get this again. He eyes flickered open and when he saw me watching him, he smiled.

"Morning," he said, his voice sounding sexy from just waking up.

I kissed his chest softly. "Morning, sleep well?"

"Mm, I certainly did."

His arms tightened around me and he ran his hand through my hair.

"Can we stay like this for the entire day?" I really didn't feel like moving.

Dimitri chuckled. "As much as I want to, there is a lot I need to do today."

I flipped over so I was lying on my stomach and I placed my hand on his cheek.

"How long do I have with you until you need to do your guardian duties?"

"Maybe an hour or two," he murmured as he snaked his hand behind my neck, pulling me to him so he could kiss me.

We spent that time cuddling and kissing until Dimitri had to get ready. I laid down on the bed, watching him get dressed and he would occasionally pass by to kiss me quickly.

"How did Christian and Vasilisa take it?"

I pulled the covers around me. "Better than I expected. Lissa was freaked out at first but she was okay after I told her everything."

"And is Eddie okay?" It was nice that Dimitri took interest in my friends.

"Not really but he will be. It's going to be hard for him, he felt like he lost Mason all over again."

Dimitri looked sympathetic and he came over to kiss me on the forehead. "He has you, he'll definitely be fine."

"You know he reminds me of you."

He lifted an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

"Yep, stoic and serious, dedicated to his guardian duties. You two have a lot in common."

"I'm not that stoic and serious," he mumbled.

I laughed. "Oh but you are. It doesn't matter because when you're with me, you're more relaxed."

He returned the smile. "You have that effect on me."

Lifting the sheets off me, I stood up and crossed the small distance between us, his arms around me immediately.

"Do I have a strong enough effect on you to convince you to stay here with me?"

"Of course you do. However I'm good at resisting so it won't work," he teased.

I playfully glared at him. "You should go, I don't want you to be late."

"Are you really kicking me out of my own room?"

Shrugging, I gathered my clothes. "If you're late because of me, I won't ever hear the end of it."

He swept me into his arms and brought his lips down to mine. If he hadn't pulled away so quickly, I would have dragged him back to bed.

"Make sure no one see's you leaving," he said.

"Don't worry, I'm a pretty fast runner," I replied, winking at him.

His face broke out into a full smile and I still found myself taken aback by how handsome he looked. He always looked great but his smile lit up his features and it was rare to see. I felt good knowing that those rare smiles were mostly kept for me. He left the room and I changed into my clothes and decided that I should make his bed for him.

After I was finished, I was about to leave when I caught sight of his shirt that I had worn last night. I'm sure he wouldn't miss it I thought as I grabbed it and darted out of his room so no one would see me. When I arrived at my room I turned the shower on. This morning with Dimitri was everything and something that I would never forget.

Unfortunately it wasn't going to last. I know I should have told him about leaving but I just couldn't do it. I took a quick shower and when I was done, I pulled on a pair of comfy shorts and long-sleeved top just as I heard a knock on the door. Throwing the door open I saw Adrian standing there and let him in. While I had been with Dimitri, I had actually forgotten about Adrian.

"I thought you were going to leave last night."

"Really little dhampir? Now you remember, not last night?" he asked sarcastically.

I felt bad. "I'm sorry, I just had a lot on my mind."

He was silent and I knew by the look in his eyes he was looking at my aura.

"You were with him weren't you?"

Right. Adrian knew about Dimitri, guess that was another secret out there.

"Yeah I was."

"Your teacher Rose? What happened to not getting attached?"

A bit of annoyance spiked in me. I felt like he was judging me and I didn't like that.

"It's not as bad as you think. I know what it sounds like to you but he's actually a really great guy."

He scoffed at my comment. "He's your teacher and much older than you."

"Fake teacher. I'm undercover so technically it doesn't count and the age gap isn't a big deal."

"Were."

"What?" I asked, confused.

"You _were_ undercover, not anymore. You should be preparing to leave."

I shifted on my feet uncomfortably. "I'm not ready to leave."

He stood up and walked over to me. "It's not about whether or not you're ready to leave. It's about when you finish the assignment and you did meaning you have to move on to the next one."

My annoyance grew. "What's your problem Adrian? Why are you getting so mad at me?"

"I'm mad because you're not taking this seriously. Your help is needed in New Orleans and there are several other missions waiting and you want to stay here because you have some crush," he replied, his green eyes angrily piercing into mine.

"Some crush?" I mocked. "He is not some crush, I'm in love with him."

Adrian was surprised by my words. "No you're not. You think you are but you only feel this way about him because he's the first guy you've been this close to. When you move on and you will, you'll get over him."

"How dare you? You don't know anything about us and you have no right to judge me."

"You're allowing yourself to be distracted by Belikov and your new friends," he shot back.

My blood boiled. "Why do you hate them so much? Why is it so hard for you to accept that I have new people in my life that accept me for me?"

"Because I don't want you forgetting about me!" he shouted.

We both went silent, Adrian let out a frustrated sigh and I looked away from him. A few seconds went by of both of us trying to calm down.

"I could never forget about you Adrian," I whispered.

He ran a hand through his hair. "You don't know that. You have new people who you trust and you might not need me as much anymore."

Sighing, I strode over to him and wrapped my arms around him. "You are family and no matter what happens, nothing could tear us apart. Yes, I have new people in my life but that doesn't mean you aren't important to me anymore. You have been there for me through so much and I wouldn't be where I am if I didn't have your support."

Adrian rested his head on my shoulder. "I'm sorry. I made a promise to protect you and when other people started finding out, I felt like I failed you because I didn't do anything to prevent your secret from coming out."

"If it's anyone's fault, it's mine," I responded, pulling back to look at him. "You can't fight my battles for me Adrian, I know how to take care of myself."

"I know. Just promise me that you're not going to throw me aside for your new friends."

I smiled brightly at him. "Never. No one could ever replace Adrian Ivashkov, those shoes are too big to fill."

He returned the smile. "Damn right they are. And I'm sorry about what I said about Belikov. I know you're in love with him, I can see it in your aura but are you sure about him? He is older than you."

"Of course. I'm a hundred percent sure and I don't think I'll ever find someone like him."

"He's that important to you?" he asked sincerely.

I nodded. "He means everything to me."

Adrian studied me for a few more seconds before looking satisfied with my answer. "If you feel that strongly about him then I'll accept what you two have. Just a heads up though, I have a feeling Abe might be a bit suspicious of you two."

I groaned. "Do you think he'll believe me if I lie to him?"

"Not unless you compel him."

"I can't, he's my dad," I said dryly.

He shrugged. "Only advice I've got."

I rolled my eyes at him. "How helpful. I suppose it's time I come clean about Dimitri."

Adrian planted a kiss on my forehead. "I think Abe might handle it better than you think."

"If you say so."

"Have you told Dimitri about your next mission? You are going to have to take that assignment, are you sure that you two can handle that?"

They were the same questions I had been asking myself.

"I don't know," I mumbled. "I don't know how to tell him."

"You better tell him soon little dhampir, the longer you wait, the harder it will be. By the way, I didn't leave last night because I wanted to make sure you were going to take the assignment in New Orleans. We're going to be leaving tomorrow, be prepared."

With a final goodbye he left, leaving me alone in my room to think about the problem I would have to face sooner or later. Did I really want to leave Dimitri for a mission?

 **AN: Do you think Rose will leave for her mission? I know not a lot happened in this chapter but there is definitely more to come. Chapter 26 should be up soon, maybe on Friday since I already have it written just need to read over it a couple more times. Good luck to anyone with exams and thank you so much for reading xo Have a good day/night :D**


	26. I Love You, I Always Will

**AN: Hello Everyone! Thank you to all the reviews, favourites and follows :) Here's chapter 26, enjoy!**

 **RPOV**

"Come on it's one drink, it won't kill you."

I swear Avery was going to be the death of me. We were hanging out in her room since I hadn't seen her during the battle. Thankfully she was passed out in her room so she was safe. Strigoi never did make it inside the academy.

She was trying to get me to drink but I wasn't in the mood. She was the only one in our circle of friends who didn't know about me and even though I liked her, there were already too many people who knew the truth.

"I already told you, I'm not drinking."

She glared at me, lowering the bottle she was holding out to me. "You're no fun."

"I came here to check up on you, not to get drunk. Clearly you're more than fine."

Avery gave me a dazzling smile. "Of course I am. Now will you please join me in getting wasted?"

I stared at her and she threw her hands up.

"Fine, I get it. Anyway how is everyone? I haven't seen them since before the attack happened."

Making myself comfortable on the couch, I placed my legs over the chair arms. "They're fine, seeing Mason shook them up but they seem to be doing pretty good."

"Not surprised, they've been through a lot."

It was nice to be around Avery sometimes, especially now. She was easy-going and carefree, completely opposite to my life. In no way was she ever close to replacing Sydney but for now, she was the kind of person I needed.

"What have you been up to anyway?" I asked.

"Drinking, partying, doing bad things," she replied, winking as she brought the bottle up to her lips.

I laughed. "I can't remember the last time I actually had fun where I could let loose."

Now that I think about it, I never really have. It was all pretend when I was undercover and a part of me longed to have that but at the same time I knew that my responsibilities always came first.

"You know," she said slowly. "I hear a few moroi are having a party tonight. They're celebrating their survival."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Of course they were. "No thanks."

"Come on," Avery whined. "I need a partying buddy. I can't ask Lissa because she's always with Christian and my god those two are like an old married couple. You're my only hope."

Sighing, I gave in. "Alright I'll go with you but I'm not drinking."

"Success," she shouted, lifting her bottle in the air.

"You owe me though."

"Whatever you want, I shall give."

We spent the next hour or so talking when the time came where I knew Dimitri would be finished with his work. I still hadn't told him about my next assignment and Adrian was right. It was better to tell him now than later.

"I have to go but I'll see you at the party."

"Sure thing," she answered, walking me to the door. "Oh wait, there's something I wanted to ask you."

"Shoot."

She hesitated. "Do you know if Eddie is seeing anyone? I know you two are close so I figured you would know."

That caught me off guard. "You're interested in Eddie?"

Shrugging, she leaned against the wall. "He's not my usual type but lately, I've been thinking that it wouldn't hurt to go for it right?"

"Right. Well, as far as I'm concerned, he's not with anyone."

I wasn't sure how to feel about this. Eddie and I were both protective of each other and honestly, Avery was the last person I pictured him with. They were complete opposites and I didn't really like the idea of those two together. Not out of jealousy but it didn't seem like they would fit. That being said, I was in no place to decide that for them.

"Plus he's totally hot. I'm surprised he doesn't already have a girlfriend or that you two aren't together."

I definitely saw the appeal, Eddie was very attractive but Dimitri was the only one I wanted to be with. There were no romantic feelings between Eddie and I.

"He's not my type either. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to go for it, although he might need some space after everything that happened with Mason."

She sobered up. "Yeah you're right. Maybe I shouldn't try to pursue it just yet."

Agreeing, I waved goodbye and left her room. The idea of Avery and Eddie was kind of throwing me off. I was pretty sure Eddie had no interest in anyone at the moment and probably wouldn't for a while. Avery however, could change that. She was gorgeous and that didn't go unnoticed by the guys here.

Shaking my head I decided to deal with that later and focus on what I was going to say to Dimitri. On my way to his room, I saw him in the hallway walking in my direction. He caught sight of me and offered me a smile.

"Roza, I was just on my way to see you."

Suddenly I felt nervous and my stomach knotted. "Same here, I need to talk to you."

His expression changed immediately switching to guardian mode. "What's wrong?"

"No nothing serious, I need to tell you something important, about us. Can we take a walk?"

Dimitri relaxed slightly but seemed to still be on guard. We left the building and walked towards the forest where no one would see us. We weren't too far away from the borders and it was within an area that no guardian bothers to patrol. When we reached the forest, our pace slowed down and I gathered enough courage to talk to him. I grabbed his hand, lacing my fingers through his hoping it would keep me calm.

"I have a mission waiting for me in New Orleans," I said quietly.

Dimitri stopped walking, turning to face me. "You're leaving?"

"I'm going to have to. It's part of being who I am, I need to move onto the next assignment after one is finished. My mission here is done."

He reached out and took my other hand in his. "How long will you be gone?"

Biting my lip, I avoided his gaze. "However long it takes me to finish and once I am, I'll have to take the next assignment. I rarely ever stay in the same place for a long period of time."

I actually missed my house in Pennsylvania, which happened to be near the royal court. It was a huge house that I had Abe to thank for and I hardly stayed there for longer than a month. It was the place I always returned to though.

"What about us?" he asked sadly.

"I don't know."

It was a lame response but it was all I had. I genuinely had no idea what my leaving would mean for us.

"I know it's selfish of me to ask this but can't you just stay here?"

"And do what? Pretend to be a dhampir? Graduate and be assigned to some moroi? Dimitri that's not my life. Besides I need to leave before Alberta gets the chance to question me and before the molnija ceremony."

He let go of my hands and placed them on either side of my face. "We've barely spent time together and now you want to leave?"

"I don't want to leave. I have to, it's what I do," I explained. "There are people who need my help and I can't just give it up-"

I cut myself off before I could finish, however judging from the look on Dimitri's face he knew exactly where I was going with it.

"You can't give it up for us," he finished.

"That's not what I meant," I said weakly. "I have my duties and you have yours. We both know that you wouldn't give up being a guardian for anything."

I had him there and he knew it. "So that's it? You leave and we're supposed to go back to the way it was before we were together?"

This was starting to take a bad turn. "Maybe when I'm done, we can see each other again."

He removed his hands from my face and took a step back. "Right and then you can leave again for your next mission like you're doing right now."

I flinched. "I don't want to lose you."

His expression faltered. "I don't want to lose you either Roza. You know I love you and I don't want to give up on us."

"I love you too Comrade and giving up is the last thing I want to do but what choice do we have?"

I closed my eyes and ran my hand through my hair. "This is why I didn't want to get close to you."

"Are you saying you regret everything?" he asked, sounding hurt.

"No of course not," I said quickly. "It's just harder to leave when all I want is to stay here with you."

He closed the distance and tilted my head towards him. "Then stay."

"You can't ask me to do that," I whispered.

Leaning his head against mine, he said, "Please stay, we can work something out. Or at least go to New Orleans and then come back to me."

Tears threatened to fall as my heartbeat quickened. "I can't promise you that."

He looked at me and sadness was evident in his eyes. I wanted to stay with him, be with him all the way but that's not how it worked. No matter how much I loved him, I couldn't abandon my responsibilities.

"You can't go," he murmured. "You can't just leave."

I kissed him softly. "I'm sorry. I can't stay."

Pulling away from him, I looked at him taking everything in. I would never forget the way he was looking at me, so much love in his eyes. This was something that people searched for their entire lives. They searched for their soul mate and mine was standing right in front of me yet here I was, preparing myself to walk away from him.

"Roza don't," he pleaded.

I had to go before he could change my mind. "I love you, I always will."

Turning on my heel, I was out of the forest in a flash and sped to my room knowing that there was no way he could catch up to me. When I had locked myself in my room, I let the tears fall feeling my heart breaking. It took me a moment to realise that Dimitri and I had just broken up. The realisation hit me hard and I curled up into a ball on the floor and cried my heart out.

I was going to be leaving tomorrow with Adrian and there was a chance that I may never see Dimitri again. I honestly believed that breaking it off with him was the right decision to make yet it didn't feel like it. If it was the right choice then why did it feel like it was a mistake? Deep down I knew it was for the best though because there was too much that prevented us from having a stable relationship.

I would be constantly travelling for missions, he was a dhampir and I had to be with a moroi or human if I wanted to pass on the draugr bloodline. It was also best if I didn't stay in one place too long in case people did get suspicious. Besides, as soon as I hit twenty-five, I would stop ageing and that would be more than enough for people to start questioning me.

 _It's for the best Rose._

If only I believed that. I didn't know how long I was on the floor, it must have been hours but when I had calmed down a bit, I glanced at the clock. Avery was expecting me to be at the party. Picking myself up from the floor, I decided I really needed a bath right now. Maybe that would comfort me for a little while.

A party wasn't where I wanted to be but one, I couldn't let Avery down and two, maybe being around other people would help take my mind off Dimitri. I highly doubted it but it was better than holing myself up in my room all night. I took my time in the bath and with getting ready.

The party was being held in one of the moroi's room so I didn't want to get too dressed up. Settling for a fitted top and a leather skirt, I left my room. When I arrived at the party, I noticed a few novices had even turned up and saw Avery with a group of guys. She caught sight of me and stumbled her way over.

"Rose, you made it," she slurred, throwing her arms around me.

"I said I would. I see you've already started on the drinking."

She giggled. "I'm always the first. Now tonight, you have to have fun. I forbid you to sit around and be boring."

"Noted." I intended on being boring. She would be too drunk to notice anyway.

"Good, excuse me while I get a refill."

She walked away to the drinks table and I scanned the room. It was mostly royal moroi but I found someone that I didn't expect to see.

"Eddie?"

He looked up at me from the red cup he was holding. "Rose? What are you doing here?"

I sat down next to him. "Avery dragged me here. How about you?"

He grimaced. "Same. She's really persistent, more than Lissa which I didn't think was possible."

"That's Avery for you," I said tiredly.

"What's going on?"

I forced a smile. "Nothing."

Unfortunately for me, Eddie was very observant. "Rose, I know something's wrong. You can tell me."

Dropping the fake smile, I sighed. "Dimitri and I broke up."

Eddie wrapped an arm around me. "I'm sorry. What happened? If you don't mind me asking."

"I'm leaving tomorrow with Adrian for my next mission and it wasn't going to work with Dimitri when I'm constantly away from him."

He frowned. "I thought you two were in love with each other."

"We are," I replied softly. "It won't work out though. I can't give up what I do to live a dhampir life."

He was quiet and I thought he had dropped it until he spoke again.

"Rose I'm no relationship expert but I do know that what you have with Dimitri isn't something you get everyday. Some of us would be lucky to find someone. Your life is similar to a guardian life and we don't get the luxury to fall in love. You have that chance now, do you really want to give that up?"

I stared at my hands. "I don't want to Eddie but there's no other option."

"There is, take advantage of what you have. You might not get to see him again for a while and because of that don't you want to spend as much time with him as possible?"

"And torture myself knowing that it might be the last time?" I asked bitterly.

"It's better than torturing yourself by playing the what if game. Go to Dimitri and be with him before you have to leave."

Spending one more night with Dimitri did sound more and more appealing. Who knows when I might get to see him again? Eddie was right, I was lucky to have found Dimitri and I shouldn't be so quick to throw it away.

I stood up. "I'm going to go."

He smiled at me. "Good luck with him and don't worry about Avery, I'll cover for you."

"Thank you, for everything," I said gratefully.

"No problem."

I left the party and walked to Dimitri's room. By now, I had mastered at avoiding dorm patrons and guardians who were on patrol. It didn't take long for me to get there and when I did, I smoothed down my skirt and fluffed my hair. I was suddenly nervous and worried that he might not want anything to do with me after the way we had left things in the forest.

I knocked on the door lightly and it opened within a few seconds. Dimitri was standing there, shirtless and I had to drag my eyes away from his perfect body to look at him. He was surprised to see me and I could see the hurt in his eyes. Not giving him a chance to speak, I pushed him further into the room and closed the door behind me.

"What are you doing here?"

I still hadn't looked away from him. "I don't want to waste this opportunity. What we have is something that we might never get to experience again and I don't want to throw it away."

His eyes skimmed over me and mixed in with the love in his eyes was desire. Striding over to him, I placed my hands on his chest, welcoming the warmth of his body and feeling satisfied as he shivered underneath my touch.

"I love you Comrade and we can worry about tomorrow when it comes. Tonight, I want to be with you."

He moved his hands over mine and brought one up to his lips, kissing it softly.

"I love you too Roza."

Our lips met and I gave myself into the kiss completely. This was a feeling that I would always cherish. I didn't want to think about leaving tomorrow and being away from him. Tonight it was only about Dimitri and me. My hands moved up around his neck and he grabbed the back of my thighs, allowing me to wrap my legs around his waist. He deepened the kiss and I tangled my hand in his hair. Tonight, Dimitri and I would become one.

 **AN: Do you still think Rose will take the next mission? I hope you liked the scene between Rose and Avery I actually enjoy writing about her. I'm working on chapter 27 today and hopefully that will be up soon. I've written about half of it but there's something off about it so I'm going to be busy trying to fix it up haha. I hope you liked the chapter and thank you so much for reading. Much love xoxo Have a good day/night! :D**


	27. I'll Come Back To You

**AN: Hello Lovelies! I hope everyone is doing well. Just to clear something up, Rose is not going to be pregnant in this story. I have mentioned a few times in earlier chapters how Draugr's can only have children with moroi and humans but not dhampir's. I don't really have an explanation as to why I just thought I would make it that way. Moving on, thank you so much for the reviews, favourites and follows! It means a lot to me to know that people are enjoying my story and hopefully continue to do so, also welcome to any new readers :) Anyway, here's chapter 27. Enjoy!**

 **RPOV**

It amazed me how someone as strong as Dimitri could be so gentle with me. He carried me to the bed and the idea of sex had always made me slightly nervous. Not with Dimitri though because I knew that with him I was safe, with him it felt right. Our kisses went from slow and gentle to passionate and desperate. I thought kissing him was incredible but to be this close to him, knowing he wanted me made my heartbeat quicken.

All nerves and worries from earlier disappeared and all that was left was my love for Dimitri. Our clothes were discarded and we were both tangled up in his sheets. I knew that there was no chance we would get caught, especially this late in the night. I never thought my first time would be in a room surrounded by other rooms with people so close by but it didn't bother me.

It didn't matter where the place was all that mattered was that it was with the man I was in love with. He kissed my neck, slowly moving down to my collarbone murmuring in Russian making my body feel like it was on fire just from the touch of his lips.

"You are so beautiful Roza," he whispered against my lips. "I love you so much."

I brushed my hand through his hair. "I love you more."

Cutting him off with a kiss before he could disagree, I pulled him even closer to me and we both gave in completely. It was better than what I had imagined and made everything that I had been through in the past few weeks worth it.

When it was over, I lay down beside him, my head on his chest as I listened to his steady heartbeat with his fingers lightly running up and down my back. He kissed the top of my head and I tightened my hold on him.

"Wow," he breathed.

I lifted my head slightly to look at him. "What?"

"Your tattoos," he explained, turning my body to him so he could get a better look at my marks.

"I'm going to start running out of room in a few more years."

His eyes flickered to mine, staring at me in amazement. "You have no idea how remarkable you are do you?"

His words made me blush. It made me feel good about myself knowing that he looked at me in awe.

I laughed softly. "You're giving me more credit than I deserve."

Dimitri buried his face in my hair. "You deserve every bit of it. If anyone is going to change the world and do incredible things, it's you Roza. And I can't wait to see it all happen."

"I wish you could be with me every step of the way," I mumbled, ruining the moment.

He lifted my head and gazed at me intensely. "I will be, maybe not physically in person but I will always be there with you."

I moved up a little so that I was hovering over him. "You'll always have me Comrade. I'll come back to you, I promise."

It was dangerous to say those words especially since I had told him earlier that I wouldn't do that. I didn't care though. No matter what happened, I would always find my way back to him. He didn't argue with me, instead pulling me to him so he could kiss me. I felt like I kept going back and forth with him, like I couldn't make up my mind and I knew it wasn't a good idea to act on impulse.

There were so many things in my life that I'm uncertain about, but with Dimitri I couldn't be surer of anything. I pulled the covers around us and we both drifted off to sleep. The problems of tomorrow were still lingering in the back of my mind but I was able to push them aside for one more night. Being in Dimitri's arms helped me forget about it altogether.

* * *

The sound of my phone ringing disturbed any chance of waking up peacefully. I decided to ignore it and cuddled into Dimitri but he was already awake.

"Roza, your phone," he mumbled sleepily.

"Ignore it."

"It's Abe."

Groaning, I reluctantly reached over to pick up my phone. "Old man," I greeted, not bothering to hide the irritation in my voice.

"Rose we have to leave soon, hurry up and come over."

The reality of today settled in. "Yeah, I'll be there in twenty."

He hung up and Dimitri ran his fingers through my hair. "What's going on?"

"We're leaving soon, I have to get ready."

Stepping out of bed, I picked up my clothes that had been strewn across the floor well aware of Dimitri's eyes on me. I turned around and saw the lust in his eyes as they skimmed over my body.

"See something you like?"

He smirked. "I see a lot I like."

I laughed and got dressed as quickly as I could and realised that I only had last night's clothes on me. I hoped no one would notice. When I looked back at Dimitri his carefree mood had gone, looking upset and I knew exactly why. I walked over to the bed and wrapped my arms around him.

"I'll come see you before I have to go."

He nodded and I kissed him, it didn't last long but it was enough to make me want more. Leaving Dimitri while he was looking this sexy was almost painful but I couldn't make Abe and Adrian wait. His sad expression mirrored mine and I kissed him longer this time before pulling away.

I said a goodbye and raced back to my room to take a quick shower. It took me twenty minutes to get dressed and hurry to Abe's room. He was settled on the couch with Adrian, their suitcases lined against the wall. Mine was also there.

"Thanks for packing my things for me Pavel."

He smiled at me. I knew there was no way Abe or Adrian would have done that.

"We have all the information for your next assignment," said Abe.

My mind was still on last night's events with Dimitri but right now, I had to focus on my next mission. I took the file from his hands and flipped through it, scanning over the details as Adrian started explaining everything.

"You're going to be staying in a hotel in the French Quarter. The problem is on Bourbon Street, there have been humans who are working with strigoi in kidnapping moroi."

I looked up at him. "Let me take a wild guess. They're doing it for immortality?"

"As always and it's the perfect place too. Bourbon Street is known for their pubs and bars meaning a lot of alcohol."

"Meaning a lot of drunk moroi who don't think about the dangers of strigoi," spoke Abe.

"Or humans in this case," I added, glancing over the files. " This seems like a typical thing that the Alchemist deal with, why am I needed?"

"Because of a strigoi named King of the Undead," answered Adrian.

I almost laughed. "King of the Undead? Did he give himself that name?"

"No, the humans did." I caught a glance at Pavel smirking to himself, clearly agreeing with me on how ridiculous it sounded.

"Alright, what's so bad about him?"

"He's the leader, an old and strong strigoi who is the ruler of the French Quarter. The only humans who know about him are the ones who work for him. He's known among our people and the Alchemists have requested your help in taking him down."

It definitely sounded easier than the mission I had here. "What's the body count?"

Abe frowned. "Around one or two people are taken each week. Some humans are just used as feeders and then they're dumped in the alleys."

"How long has this been going on?"

"Two months."

That was a lot of moroi and human lives that were lost. Especially in a place like New Orleans where there were hundreds of people at night, completely vulnerable to strigoi. My determination to help kicked in.

"Do you have anything to help me find this guy?"

Adrian reached over and flipped through a few papers in the file. "We have pictures of the humans who are working for the strigoi. I'm sure you can think of a way to get information out of them."

I smirked. "Of course I do. When do we leave?"

"One hour. You have time to say your goodbyes."

My mood dropped and I closed the file handing it to Abe. "Where should I meet you after I'm done?"

"Lucky for us, we have our own private jet little dhampir," answered Adrian, looking happy. "Just meet us out front."

"Wouldn't expect anything less of you Adrian," I teased.

Abe cut in. "Alberta wants to speak to you before you leave Rose."

Leaving the room, I made a mental list of the people I needed to say goodbye to and who I should visit first. Eddie, Lissa and Christian were bound to be in the same place so I headed over to them first. Knowing they would be in Lissa's room, I walked over there starting to feel emotional about leaving my new friends. I was right that they would be there when I stepped into her room. One look at my face and they knew exactly why I was here.

"You're leaving," stated Christian.

"Yeah, in an hour. I wanted to say goodbye before I go."

As soon as I finished speaking, Lissa had her arms around me and the emotion hit me hard.

"I'm going to miss you Rose."

I held back the tears, figuring I would let myself cry when I was in the jet. Returning the hug, I closed my eyes.

"I'm going to miss you too Liss."

We hugged for a bit longer and Christian hugged me too. He whispered a thank you and wished me luck before stepping away. I knew Christian wasn't the emotional type unless it involved Lissa but I appreciated the fact that he cared about me enough to open up to me. Even if it was just a little bit.

When it was Eddie's turn, I was struggling to not cry. Eddie rarely showed emotion but even he looked upset. I launched myself into his arms and held on as tightly as I could. He and I had become close in such a short time and I didn't know what I was going to do without him around. I turned my head a little so I could whisper to Eddie.

"No matter what, I'm always going to be there for you. If you ever need anything just call and I'll be there."

"The same goes for you Rose, we're all here for you."

He kissed my temple before pulling away and I looked at all three of them. I truly would miss them.

"This isn't the last time you'll see me. I'm sure we'll see each other again."

I know we would, there was no way I was going to go too long without at least visiting them.

"I'm really going to miss you guys," I said, my voice breaking.

It took longer than I had thought to say goodbye to them. There were more hugs, mostly from Lissa and eventually I managed to drag myself away to find Alberta. I wanted Dimitri to be the last person I saw before leaving plus I needed to find Avery after I left the party early. I made my way over to administration, knocking on her door and waited.

"Come in."

I turned the handle and walked in. I was contemplating whether or not I should have come since she was going to ask me questions about Jesse and Ralf and my odd behaviour. If that's what was going to happen then at least I had compulsion to help me out.

"Thank you for coming Rose take a seat," she said, not looking up from the papers she was sorting through.

Hesitantly, I sat down. "Am I in trouble? I don't recall doing anything I wasn't suppose to."

She looked up and her lips twitched. "No, I'm aware that you'll be leaving today. I wanted to say thank you."

"For what?"

"You are the reason why Jesse and Ralf were caught and the reason why so many of our people were saved in the battle."

 _Oh god, she knew_. My expression must have given away what I was thinking.

"I know the truth Rose and don't worry, I won't be telling anyone. In fact I wanted to inform you that I have everything covered for you."

"Covered?" I was still confused that she had figured it out.

"I'm sure people will be questioning why you won't be present during graduation or at the molnija ceremony. But I have worked a way out to make sure that your record states that you were present at both events. I'll come up with a cover story for your sudden departure."

My mouth was slightly hung open and Alberta looked amused. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"You would really do that for me?"

She leaned forward. "It's the least I could do after everything that you have done here. You have saved many lives and I have you to thank."

I tried to gather all my thoughts but it was taking a little while for all of this to sink in.

"Well…thank you for covering up for me, I appreciate it. And if you ever need anything, I'm happy to help. How did you find out though?"

"I'm an observant person. It didn't take long for me to put two and two together."

Maybe I really was losing my touch to have this many people find out about me.

Alberta smiled and I returned it. "Good luck Rose. I hope to see you again soon."

I left her office in a slight daze. My mind was elsewhere and I hadn't realised that Avery had fallen into step with me.

"Hey stranger."

I stopped walking to face her. Surprisingly she didn't look mad at me since I did bail on her last night.

"Eddie told me you weren't feeling well, are you okay?"

Thank you Eddie. "Yeah, some stomach flu it didn't last that long though."

"Oh good, want to come over and hang out? And don't worry, the only drink I will be offering is hot chocolate."

I looked away, feeling bad about having to do this abruptly. "I'm sorry but I'm actually leaving today, in about thirty minutes."

Avery dropped her smile. "Were you planning on saying goodbye?"

"Of course."

"Why are you leaving?"

Biting my lip, I was unsure on how to explain it. "I just have to be somewhere else right now."

Hope sparked in her eyes. "Oh, then you're coming back?"

"No. I'm leaving for good."

Heavy silence surrounded us and I waited for her to say something. She was staring blankly behind me before her blue-grey eyes darted back to me.

"Can I come with you?"

That threw me off. "Um, you can't Avery. You have to stay here and graduate, besides I'm leaving cause of some family stuff."

I was hoping the 'family stuff' excuse would help convince her. It worked.

"So this is goodbye then?" she asked quietly.

Reaching out I gave her a quick embrace, which she returned. "It's good bye for now but not for good."

"Can I ask where you're going?"

My hesitation was brief. "New Orleans. We're visiting a family member there."

It wasn't a big deal if people knew where I was going, it's not like I would be there for too long anyway.

"I guess I'll see you around then?" It came out more like a question that a statement.

Nodding, I was suddenly aware of the limited I had to see Dimitri.

"Absolutely," I said smiling as I waved at her and spun on my heel to practically run to Dimitri's room. Goodbyes were never really my thing and I wasn't prepared to say it to Dimitri. I didn't even bother knocking on his door and just walked right in. He glanced up at my entrance and stood up.

Without a word, I closed the distance between us and kissed him with everything I had. He responded immediately, pulling my body to his as close as he could. I was definitely going to miss him the most. My responsibility as the Dark One was too hard to ignore but my love for Dimitri is unforgettable. We both pulled back and I brushed my fingers across his cheek.

"How long do you have?" he asked huskily.

"Fifteen minutes, maybe twenty."

He looked disappointed by my answer and I empathised with him. We didn't have long.

"What am I going to do without you Roza?"

My heart hurt to hear him sound upset. "You're going to be fine just like before I came here. I know you will."

"It's different now. I know what it's like to have the person I love in my life. There's no way I can go back to what it was before because I can't just forget what we have."

I breathed in deeply; this was going to be harder than I had thought. Cupping his face, I looked straight into his warm brown eyes.

"I meant it when I said that I would come back. I don't know how long it will be before I do but I promise that we'll see each other again."

There was still the problem that weighed over us of not really knowing where our relationship stood. I decided that I should clear it up. It was something I had briefly thought about and the next words I said took a lot out of me.

"I want you to be happy," I said, pulling him closer to me. "All I want is for you to find happiness, which is why I don't expect you to wait for me."

His expression shifted, surprised by what I had said. "There isn't anyone else that I would want to be with."

"I know but I won't be mad at you if you meet someone else while I'm…away. It won't be easy for me to deal with but if that is what you want then I will accept it."

It was hard to say that. The idea of Dimitri with another woman hurt and as much as I would want him to wait for me, I couldn't force him too. It wouldn't be right of me to hold him back for god knows how long. He deserved better than waiting around for someone who might not come back for a long time. All I wanted was for him to be happy. He hugged me tightly and I could feel his heartbeat racing.

"I love you Roza. I love you with everything that I have."

The tears were close to falling and I shut my eyes tightly. "I love you too Comrade. Don't forget that."

We stayed like that for a little longer until I knew that it was time for me to leave. I kissed him again, except this time it was different to all our other kisses. This was a goodbye kiss. It was filled with love, passion and even a hint of sadness knowing that this would be the last kiss we share for some time. I wasn't sure if I would find someone like him. It amazed me how well we fit together, the way he held me and kissed me was as if I was made to fit him perfectly.

We pulled away and I took my time to take it all in. I tried to memorise every single detail of this moment, the feeling of his lips on mine, the way he was holding me, the look of love in his eyes, the feeling of my heart racing and the electricity between us. I wanted to memorise how he looked. His shoulder-length hair hanging loose, framing his gorgeous face, his dark eyes that I love so much holding all the emotions that I was feeling. Stepping away, I slowly let go of his hand and we both stood there for a moment, staring at each other.

 _This was it._

I turned around so he couldn't see my eyes watering and walked out of his room. When the door shut behind me, I felt like I was leaving a piece of myself behind as I finally let myself cry quietly. As I was walking, I felt like I was in a daze. There was no clear thought running through my mind, it felt like I wasn't even in my own body anymore. My feet had taken me straight to the jet outside where Abe, Adrian and Pavel were waiting for me. Adrian was the first to approach me and slung an arm around my shoulder.

"Don't worry little dhampir, I have a surprise for you that might cheer you up."

"I hate surprises," I mumbled.

"Trust me, you'll love this one."

I let him lead me to the jet so we could board. Looking back over my shoulder I flashed back to the first day I arrived. I genuinely never believed that I would miss this place. Although, it was certain people I would miss rather than the academy itself.

Before the door closed, I caught a glimpse of Avery standing near the building with her arms crossed, she was staring at me blankly and her long brown hair was whipping around her wildly. Despite my emotions being all over the place, I still felt uncomfortable and worried about the unsettling feeling that swept over me as her eyes pierced right into mine.

 **AN: Adrian has a surprise for Rose? And what's up with Avery? I found it hard to write the sex scene without being too explicit or too vague. It could be better but hopefully it wasn't too bad. This is not the end of Romitri I have plenty planned for them and a lot more action to follow. By the way, if anyone lives in New Orleans or just knows a lot about the place, please send me some information.** **I know I can just Google about it, which is what I've been doing but I would love to hear from anyone who lives there/visited since the next couple of chapters will be set in New Orleans. Unfortunately for me, I still have two more exams left but I will be done on the 23** **rd** **of June and then I will finally have my semester break! I can't wait. Chapter 28 will be up soon sometime this week, I'm actually just starting the chapter today so I'll try not to wait too long to update. Anyway, thank you so much for reading, I appreciate it xoxo Have a good/day night! :D**


	28. Welcome to New Orleans

**AN: Hey Hey! I am blown away by the positive comments I received on my last chapter. You guys are amazing! Thank you to everyone for the reviews, favourites, follows and welcome to any new readers :) I have gotten a couple of people asking how many chapters will be left and while I don't have an exact number, it will most likely be around 35 chapters in total for this story. I can 100% confirm that a sequel is going to happen and when the time comes I will make an announcement of when it will be posted. Anyway, here's chapter 28. Enjoy!**

 **RPOV**

My mind was still reeling from the goodbyes that I had to make. Thankfully, the others had left me alone during the flight, leaving me to stare out the window in peace. The events of the past few weeks were on repeat on my mind.

Four hours wasn't a long time since I spent most of it caught up in my own thoughts and before I knew it, we were getting ready to land. Adrian came to sit beside me and he tugged on my arm gently, forcing me to look at him. Concern was drawn on his face and I knew that he and Abe were worried about where my mind was.

"Are you going to be okay to handle this?"

I hated worrying Adrian and Abe. It was nice that they looked out for me and were ready to help in any way needed but now was not the time to mope around. This was a new mission and it was my job to remain professional.

Mustering up a smile I said, "I'll be fine. This assignment will actually help with keeping me occupied."

He gave me a sad smile. "I'm here if you want to talk."

"Thanks but I want to focus on the case. We can talk about it later when this is over."

We landed and stepped off the plane, there wasn't much to look at except for a field of grass. Pavel had a car waiting to take us to the hotel we were staying at. I was grateful to learn that I would have a room to myself. The car ride was silent except for a few words from Adrian about how he couldn't wait to go sightseeing.

A part of me was eager too but that wasn't what I was here for. Maybe I might be able to sneak in a couple of hours here and there to go out and explore. It didn't take long to get to the French Quarter. It was night-time for humans and the place was brought to life.

There were hundreds of people, music was blaring throughout the streets and the lights made the neighbourhood look magical. The liveliness of the city struck something in me and the corners of my mouth lifted into a smile. I watched the people through the window of the car. They looked happy and free, something that made me feel envious.

A group of girls caught my eye and they were laughing with their arms wrapped around each other as they walked into a bar. The sight was quite bittersweet because even though I envied them knowing that it was unattainable, they genuinely looked like they were enjoying themselves and I was kind of happy that they were.

"Where are we staying?" I asked, my eyes still focused on my surroundings.

"W New Orleans hotel, right in the middle of the French Quarter. I think you'll like it," answered Abe.

The car came to a stop and I stepped out, breathing in the air, I welcomed the new setting. I still missed the academy and everyone that I had to leave behind but if there was a place that I would have to be right now, I was glad it was here. After checking in I was practically racing to my room.

The hotel was beautiful and my room was a huge upgrade from the dhampir dorms at the academy. I was given a studio suite and it didn't take long before I made myself at home. There was a private balcony, hot tub, TV and a mini bar. The room itself was decorated in modern black and white with a few hints of gold. I was about to throw myself onto the bed when Abe and Pavel entered my room.

"Do you like it?" Abe asked, smirking.

"I love it."

"Good. We're not going to do anything tonight except settling in. I'm sure you're tired especially now that you'll have to adjust back into a human schedule. We can go over the details for our plan tomorrow morning in my room. We're right next door."

Usually as soon as we arrived at our location, we jumped straight into planning but I could tell that Abe was going easy on me and holding off until tomorrow. I shot him a grateful smile until I realised something.

"Wait, where's Adrian? Is he sharing a room with you?"

Abe's smirk turned into a genuine smile. "Pavel and I will have one room, Adrian will have his own."

I frowned. "What aren't you telling me?"

He had his knowing look on him. Suddenly, Adrian appeared in the doorway his face beaming.

"I have that surprise for you."

Groaning, I turned around to reach for my suitcase. "I told you I hate surprises."

"Even if that surprise is me?" a soft voice asked. I spun around in disbelief and saw the one person I had missed for so long.

Sydney was standing there smiling and looking the same as I remembered. Her blonde hair was layered and placed perfectly around her shoulders, her amber eyes sparkled and she was wearing her usual attire of neutral colours that would look boring on anyone else yet she managed to pull it off and look dressed up.

Tears welled up in my eyes, not because I was upset but because having Sydney here was exactly what I needed. I pushed past Abe and Pavel and launched myself into Sydney's arms, steadying her as she stumbled a little.

"I can't believe you're here," I said excitedly. "It's so good to see you."

She patted my back and laughed softly. "I couldn't stay away any longer. I've missed you Rose."

It still surprised me how far we had come with our friendship. When we first met she wouldn't even look at me or stay in the same room as me for too long without feeling uncomfortable. Now, she didn't mind hanging out with us especially with how close she and Adrian are.

"I've missed you too. Thank you for coming and sorry for keeping Adrian from you for a while."

"It's okay, we're all here together now."

"Easy there Rose," joked Adrian. "Hold her any tighter and you'll break her."

I pulled away but still kept one of my arms around her. "I'm just excited to have you here. How long are you staying though?"

"As long as it takes for the mission to be over. Being away from Adrian and you was taking its toll on me so I thought I would surprise you here. Adrian insisted on coming home but I figured that I should come along for the ride, maybe even help out if I can."

"Well thank you for thinking about me too Sydney," teased Abe.

Sydney blushed. "I've missed everyone."

"Leave her alone old man, she's here now and that's all that matters. Our family is back together again."

I received fond smiles and even though I had been through a lot this made my heart feel a little lighter. Family time was exactly what I needed and I had a good feeling that maybe this assignment wouldn't be so bad.

It had been a while since I had spent time with Sydney but judging by the looks Adrian and Sydney were giving each other I figured one more night of not talking to her wouldn't kill me. Besides, I knew how much they must have been missing each other and I didn't want to get in the way of that. I also wanted to spend the night on my own and be left alone with my thoughts.

"I think we all need to get some rest," I announced. "We can have breakfast together tomorrow morning."

Agreeing, Abe and Pavel moved to their room and I hugged Sydney again.

"We have a lot to catch up on."

"We do, you can tell me everything I've missed out on tomorrow," she suggested.

"Sounds good to me. Goodnight."

She smiled at me and took Adrian's hand to go to their room. I walked into my suite, closed the door and leaned against it letting out a content sigh. Having everyone here with me made me feel a bit more at ease. I still felt the emptiness of my friends and Dimitri's absence but I was feeling slightly better. All I could hope for is that they would all be okay and that Dimitri and I would see each other again.

I decided to order room service and have food sent up to me while I unpacked everything. The hot tub was calling out to me and even though it was tempting, I decided I would save it for another time. When I had finished unpacking completely there was a knock on my door and I went to open it knowing it would be room service. I stepped aside to allow the woman to push the trolley of food into my room.

"Here you go miss. Is there anything else I can get you?"

"No I think I'm good, thank you," I replied, tipping her.

She offered me a smile. "Welcome to New Orleans."

* * *

"There's a strong chance that these guys have already been compelled. We all know that I can't break someone else's compulsion."

Reaching over Abe, I picked up my glass of orange juice but Adrian snatched it from my hand.

"Ever heard of getting your own?"

"Ever heard of sharing?" he teased, taking a sip.

I glared at him and looked to Sydney for support but she wasn't paying attention. Ignoring Adrian, I poured myself another glass and made sure to keep it away from him this time.

"What if you try to get a job there?" Abe suggested.

We were all sitting in Abe and Pavel's room eating lunch and discussing our plan of action. I was still feeling tired now that we were on a human schedule but I attempted to remain focused.

"You mean as a bartender? Do you think they would notice that I look like a dhampir?"

Sydney shook her head. "I highly doubt it. It's not that hard for you to blend in with the human's just make sure you always wear your hair down. I'm sure they'll hire you, if they don't then we'll try and find a different way for you to get closer to them."

"Okay sounds easy enough. I will get close to these two guys and try to find a way in on their plans. Maybe I might get lucky enough to see this King of the Undead strigoi."

"How do you plan on earning their trust?" questioned Adrian.

I shrugged. "I'll figure something out."

They were all use to me improvising during my missions. It wasn't the best method but it never failed me. Finishing the last of my juice, I stood up.

"Now how does one dress up for a job interview as a bartender?"

Sydney stood up as well. "I can help with that, come on."

We left the room and went next door to mine. She walked straight over to my closet and went through my clothes. I was all about simple and comfortable clothes but with my missions I always made sure to be prepared for anything that required particular attire. I went over to the mirror and brushed my hair out so it fell in soft waves down my back.

"Adrian told me you had to leave behind a few people you were close with," she said.

My hands faltered and slowed down as they combed through my hair. I kept my breathing even not wanting to think too much about it and busied myself with applying on make up.

"Yeah there are a few people I'll miss."

Sydney pulled out a few clothing pieces and spread them out on the bed. "You mean Dimitri?"

Even hearing his name made me feel sad. "I'm guessing Adrian told you everything."

She looked up, giving me a sheepish grin. "Sort of. He just mentioned a few names but he did say that Dimitri was special to you."

"He is." I bit my lip, feeling hesitant about telling her. "I'm in love with him."

Sydney stopped to glance at me. "Oh I'm sorry Rose. It must have been hard to leave him."

I waved it off. "It's fine. I mean yeah it isn't easy to be away from him when we didn't even have that long together but we'll see each other again one day."

"Tell me about him. Adrian told me that he's a guardian right?"

I suddenly felt shy opening up about my feelings for him. It was something I hadn't even done with Adrian but I reminded myself that this was Sydney.

"Vasilisa Dragomir's guardian actually. When you first meet him, he seems strict and stoic but he's one of the most kindest, loving and loyal people I know. He's old-fashioned in some ways and a true gentleman. Plus he's drop dead gorgeous."

I could have gone on with my description but I figured I would stop before getting carried away.

Sydney was smiling. "He sounds great."

"He is," I mused. "I made new friends too and the best part is that even though they all know my secret, they're okay with it."

"Hopefully I get to meet them. I'm especially curious about Dimitri, he must be some guy if you're in love with him. We all know you have high standards."

Finishing my make up I stood up and walked over to Sydney. "When we get time, I'll tell you everything about them."

She handed me the outfit she had picked out and I changed into it. It was a pair of skinny jeans, a fitted tank top and heeled boots. The outfit would be easy to fight in and it didn't make me look like a dhampir ready to jump into battle. I looked in the mirror and was pleased with my appearance.

My dark features made me look mysterious and sexy, enough to capture the attention of the two men I was about to see. The last thing I wanted to do was use seduction as a way in since it made me feel like I was cheating on Dimitri but I had to do what was needed to get this job as a cover. I ran my fingers over the nazar necklace around my neck. Ever since Abe had given it to me, I had always worn it feeling like I had a piece of my mother with me.

"Here." Sydney handed me a piece of paper and I skimmed over it.

"Is this my resume?"

"Yes, it states that you have experience as a bartender. Your new name will be Hazel Jennings, you're twenty-one and from New York."

I frowned. "I don't know the first thing about being a bartender."

"You're a fast learner."

She handed me a jacket and I slipped it on, pocketing my stake. I straightened my clothes out and did a quick spin.

"How do I look?"

"Like you're going to get the job," said Sydney. "Good luck, I'm trusting that you have a plan."

"I'll figure something out."

Sydney was hardly the person to be impulsive like me. She preferred a plan and having a strategy whereas I mostly improvised and went with the flow. Picking up my phone, I said goodbye to her and left the hotel to walk down to the bar. Bourbon Street was only a two-minute walk from the hotel and even though it was daytime, there was still a lot of people and loud music. It seemed like there was always a party going on.

The street was filled with different bars but there was only one I was looking for, Rosseau's. Seeing the sign, I walked inside to find it empty. It was the afternoon so there clearly wasn't going to people in here until later. There was a guy standing behind the bar, cleaning drinking glasses and he glanced up to look at me.

I recognised him from the photos that the alchemists had given us. He was the owner of the bar and I plastered on a friendly smile as I approached him. So far, there wasn't anything that screamed the presence of strigoi and there wasn't anything off about the guy. He flashed me a smile.

"Hi, can I help you?"

His eyes ran over my body and I knew he was checking me out the way most guys do when they see me. Judging by the look on his face, he was impressed by what he saw. Maybe this was going to be easier than I had thought.

"I'm Hazel, I was hoping you would have a job opening," I said, handing him the resume.

He glanced over it and nodded slowly. "We could use another staff actually and you seem to have experience."

From there, he asked me a few questions that I answered swiftly, making up my responses. I had never had to work undercover in a bar but I have had to lie about having experience for different jobs for previous missions. I took the time to study him. He had light blonde hair, striking green eyes and didn't look that much older than me. The guy was attractive but I couldn't help but think that he had nothing on Dimitri. And there I went again, allowing my mind to wander off.

"Well, I'm glad to say that you've got the job. How soon can you start?"

"I can start right now," I replied, hoping I didn't sound too eager. "Wait, I didn't get your name."

He smiled at my enthusiasm and stuck his hand out. "I'm Lachlan."

I shook his hand and he placed my resume aside. "We don't open for another couple of hours. You can start on setting up the chairs and tables."

"I'm on it."

"Here, let me take your jacket."

I hesitated before taking it off. It held my stake but I didn't think I would have anything to worry about for now. Besides I knew how to put up a fight. Handing him my jacket I started on setting up the tables and chairs. The place looked kind of cool and it looked like your standard bar. It was dark like most bars, had a small lounge area and a pool table. I was just thankful that this place would be low key compared to a nightclub.

"So where are you from?" he asked.

"New York," I lied smoothly. "I needed a change of scenery and I've always wanted to visited New Orleans."

"Let me guess, you had some kind of fallout with a boyfriend and you wanted to get away from him?"

I gave him a questioning look, waiting for him to elaborate.

"You'd be surprised by how many times I've heard that story. So am I right?"

"Yeah, something like that," I mumbled.

He was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "Whatever happened between you and this ex of yours, well it's his loss."

Lachlan was flirting and I wasn't in the mood to reciprocate it. I had to remind myself that this guy was bad news. He was working for strigoi for god's sake and I wasn't here to make friends or to be with someone who wasn't Dimitri.

"It's in the past, I want to focus on moving forward," I said forcefully, hoping he got the message.

He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a guy entering the bar. I recognised him as the other one who was working alongside Lachlan. He didn't look as friendly as Lachlan though, he seemed like the type that was always pissed off at the world. He took one look at me and had apparently made up his mind about me just from that single glance.

"Who's she?" he asked, nodding his head towards me.

"This is Hazel, I just hired her. Hazel this is Spence, he works here too."

He eyed me suspiciously and I shot him a challenging look. No way was I going to let him think that I was the kind of person he could step all over on. I might be under an alias name but I wanted to keep my Rose bravado.

"Did you hire her cause she can do the job or so you would have some eye candy?"

I scoffed at his comment and Lachlan smirked. "Come on Spence, I need your help with something in the back."

They both disappeared around the corner and I tried to move close enough so that I could hear their conversation while still adjusting the chairs. They were speaking in hushed whispers but I was able to hear them.

"I can't believe you hired her without consulting me first."

"We needed an extra hand, I didn't think you would mind. Besides I have a weakness for beautiful women and have you seen her? I would be an idiot to turn her away."

Someone growled and I knew it had to be Spence. "Having her around is going to make it hard to deliver moroi to Felix."

 _Felix? Was that the name of the strigoi they were working for?_

"She won't be a problem. There's no way she's going to figure out what we're doing because she'll be busy working tonight. Did he confirm yet?"

"Yeah, he wants three tonight, which is odd. He usually only asks for one or two."

"Then we deliver three moroi to him. We'll be fine, even with Hazel around."

The conversation ended and I moved away quickly. They both appeared and Lachlan walked back behind the bar.

"Hey Hazel, come over here. Let's see how good you are at pouring drinks."

I needed to contact Abe soon and be prepared to stop both Lachlan and Spence from harming any moroi tonight. I couldn't wait to take these guys down.

 **AN: Yay Sydney's here! I have been waiting so long to have her reunite with Rose and Adrian so I'm happy to be writing about her. What do you think of Lachlan and Spence? I'm also excited to have a change of scenery from the academy to New Orleans because that is one of the many places I really want to visit. My semester break is coming up very soon and that will finally give me more time to write and update. Chapter 29 will be posted sometime over the weekend. Thank you so much for reading, much love xoxo Have a good day/night :D**


	29. Rose Killed Him

**AN: Hello! I hope everyone is doing well. Thank you to all the reviews, favourites and follows. I am so grateful to all of you that take the time to read my story it means a lot. I have my last two exams this week, Tuesday and Thursday so unfortunately, I won't be updating the next chapter until then. I know it's a longer wait than usual but I'm going to be busy studying and revising for my two exams.**

 **This story is coming to an end. I haven't written the next chapter yet but I am planning on making it the final one for this story. I will most likely take a week off after the last chapter is posted to organise everything for the sequel. There will be more information about it in my next update. I hope you guys are excited as I am! Anyway, here's chapter 29. Enjoy! :)**

 **RPOV**

The bar was packed. It was mostly filled with humans but there were a few moroi here. Unfortunately no guardians were present suggesting that these moroi were most likely non-royal. The only dhampir in this bar was Pavel who had come down to help me. Abe and Sydney were trying to find out as much as they could about a strigoi named Felix, which was not a lot to go by.

Pavel was seated at one of the tables with an untouched glass of bourbon. No one seemed to notice how out of place he looked. He was rigid and aware of his surroundings, which stood out to me amongst the people laughing and drinking. We were making regular eye contact and keeping an eye on both Lachlan and Spence. So far, not much was happening. I was behind the bar with Lachlan serving drinks and Spence was making rounds and talking with a few people.

Sneaking off would be hard with the amount of people here expecting a drink every second. I was trying to serve all of them and keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. I looked up at Pavel and he tilted his head slightly towards Spence. Without looking too obvious I spared a glance at him and saw him talking to a moroi woman. I checked to see if Lachlan had noticed and sure enough he was watching them. He made eye contact with Spence and they exchanged a knowing look that both Pavel and I had caught.

Lachlan placed a hand on my lower back. "Do you think you can take over for a moment? I need to get a few more bottles."

"Sure, no problem."

He flashed me a smile and disappeared around the corner that would lead him outside to the back of the bar. Pavel was already walking in the same direction and I kept my eye on Spence. For the first time, I saw him smile and it made him look handsome, too bad he was an asshole. He leaned down to whisper something in her ear causing her to giggle and blush.

"Hey, I'm still waiting here."

My head snapped towards an annoyed man waving his money in the air. I hadn't realised that I had stopped pouring drinks.

"Right, here," I said, pouring him his drink and handing it to him.

"You girls are all looks and no brain," he spat. "You're all the same."

Annoyance spiked in me and I reached out to grab his hand making him look at me.

"We ' _pretty_ ' girls are the only reason you're even getting a drink."

He smirked. "Feisty. Better watch that mouth of yours little girl, you don't know what you're talking about."

I glared at him and held his wrist even tighter, making him wince. His smirk dropped and he looked at me with wide eyes, surprised that I was stronger than I looked. Slowly, I let go and felt satisfied seeing his wrist had turn slightly red. He backed away and I turned back towards Spence, but he wasn't there.

Desperately I scanned the place only to find that they weren't here. They must have slipped out while I was distracted. I abandoned the bar hearing a few people shout behind me but I ignored them and grabbed my jacket. I had more important things to deal with than serve a bunch of intoxicated people.

Walking outside the way Lachlan and Pavel had gone, I stepped into the alley and pulled my jacket on to protect me from the cold wind. I pulled my stake out and cautiously started walking listening out for anything.

"Rose."

I spun around to see Pavel. "Where did Lachlan go?"

"He went this way, let's go. Is Spence still inside?"

I grimaced as I followed Pavel. "No I lost him and the moroi with him."

"He's probably where Lachlan is right now, I saw him heading towards St. Ann's street."

"We need to run if we're going to get there in time."

It only took us a few minutes to get where they were. Bourbon street was filled with people but everywhere else it seemed quiet and the alleys looked dangerous. An easy place for a strigoi to be lurking and looking to feed and kill. They were both just standing there holding onto the woman, most likely waiting for Felix. Pavel and I hid behind a wall, making sure they couldn't see us.

"What should we do?" he asked.

I studied the two guys. The woman was thrashing against Lachlan yelling at him and Spence covered her mouth with his hand. "We need to wait until someone makes an appearance. It shouldn't be long now."

"Can you hear what they're saying?"

Listening intently, I was able to capture their conversation. Spence seemed annoyed, as usual.

 _"_ _Where is he? He was suppose to be here five minutes ago, we need to go back to get two more."_

 _"_ _Dude relax, he'll be here."_

 _"_ _I can't believe you talked me into leaving Hazel to tend the bar. What if she screws up?"_

 _"_ _She won't, she seemed to be doing a good job plus it makes meeting up with Felix easier. She takes care of the bar while we bring moroi to Felix."_

 _"_ _If she does one thing wrong, it's on you Lachlan."_

 _"_ _Whatever. Look he's here."_

Pavel tensed behind me as we saw a black car come into view. The window rolled down but we couldn't see who was inside.

"We need to get closer," I said. "I'm going to cross the street and stop the car from leaving. I need you to help the moroi."

He nodded and I raced towards the car and saw Pavel creep up behind the guys, getting ready to take them on. I moved to the side of the car, opening the door to the drivers seat and pulled out the person behind the wheel. They were human making it easy for me to throw him aside.

The back door opened and a man stepped out. He turned to look at me and his eyes were ringed in red. It was Felix. Pavel had grabbed the woman and told her to run as he took care of Lachlan and Spence.

Felix growled at me. "You dhampir's just don't know how to stay out of something that doesn't concern you."

I tightened my grip on my stake. "You're hurting innocent people so it is my concern. I'm guessing you're the King of the Undead?"

He bared his fangs at me. "You've heard of me. I assume you've also heard how much pleasure I take in making my victims suffer."

I walked around the front of the car and stepped closer to him. "Honestly, I don't know much about you. You're not that big of a deal."

That pissed him off. "I am King for a reason."

"Don't flatter yourself."

I lunged towards him and the fighting began. In my time, I have fought several strong strigoi but Felix definitely made the top three. It was obvious that he was awakened years ago making him far stronger than the typical strigoi. Plus he looked to be a dhampir before being turned. Luckily for me, I had an advantage. The darkness was creeping into my body very slowly but now was not the time to worry about it.

I swiped my stake across his neck but it didn't cut deep enough. It did make him falter slightly. I was distantly aware of Pavel attempting to restrain both guys. He was clearly stronger than both but guardians were taught to protect humans not kill them. If I didn't have to deal with Felix, I would've leant him a hand. I continued with my attacks and threw a punch at him but he grabbed my arm and twisted it causing me to cry out.

He pushed me against the side of the car with my arm twisted behind my back, hearing the sound of bone breaking and his fangs were a breath away from my neck. If I was going to get through this, I needed to let the darkness take over. I broke down the internal wall and let it spread through my body allowing it to strengthen me.

I shouldn't have done that but right now, I didn't have time to think about the consequences. Using my free arm, I elbowed him in the face and pushed him off me so he would let go of the iron grip on my arm.

Spinning around I lifted my leg and kicked him in the stomach and watched as he flew backwards, hitting a lamppost. My broken arm healed as I felt the bone shift back into place and I charged towards him, grabbing him by his shirt.

"You might be known as the King around here but that doesn't mean anything. _I'm_ the one everyone fears and _I'm_ the one that will take pleasure in making you suffer. My strength and speed surpasses yours."

He looked confused for a moment and then realisation flashed in his eyes.

"Dark One," he laughed coldly. "You're the Dark One? You're just a girl."

The rage was in full force. I pushed him against the wall and let the tip of the stake pierce through his skin so that it was lined up directly with his heart. He hissed in pain and I leaned closer to his face.

"Don't believe me? Let me show you."

Keeping the stake where it was I grabbed his arm and ran my fingers across his wrist and in one swift movement, I broke his arm like he had done to me. He growled and I decided to push it further. If 'normal' Rose could see me right now, she would be frightened, hell there was a small part of me screaming to stop but I couldn't.

He needed to be put in his place and he needed to know that I was the one in charge, not him. I moved my hand down to his stomach so it rested where his ribs were and applied as much pressure as I could. The sound of bone breaking did make me cringe but it satisfied my dangerous and violent side.

"Rose!"

I blinked, the sound of my name slightly clearing my clouded mind. Turning around, I saw Pavel staring at me looking a little run-down as he held Lachlan and Spence away from him. He was trying to reach out to me because he knew that I wasn't thinking straight.

Looking back at Felix, I finally saw the fear in his eyes. He was right where I wanted him, my stake still slightly pierced into his chest and I was prolonging something that should've happened several moments ago. Fighting through the dark cloud over me I shoved my stake through him completely until he was dead. Pulling my stake out, I felt the darkness lingering and my entire body shaking as I fought to push through it.

Pavel had knocked Lachlan out and was attempting to do the same to Spence. I needed to help him. Before I had even taken a step, I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder and I screamed and gritted my teeth. Snapping my head to my left I saw the human that I had thrown out of the car. He had stabbed me with a knife and just like that all my self-control shattered.

I pulled the knife out, ignoring the pain and moved towards the human. He staggered backwards and turned around to run but using my speed I was in front of him in a second, blocking his way. The bloody knife was still in my hand and without thinking I ran it across his neck in one swipe and backhanded him into the wall.

"Rose."

My eyes remained focused on the body and the blood that spread out onto the pavement. His vacant eyes were wide open as if he couldn't believe that he was dead.

"Rose! Look at me!"

Finally, I dragged my eyes away to meet Pavel's frightened ones. "What did you do?"

The fear in his voice broke through my anger. Slowly, the darkness faded away and I breathed in sharply. The knife and stake fell from my hands and I sank to my knees. I covered my mouth with one hand and clutched my stomach with the other as I stared at the dead body. My eyes started watering as my vision blurred and I let out a strangled cry.

"Oh my god. I killed him. Oh god I killed him."

Pavel was frozen in place with Lachlan and Spence lying at his feet, both passed out. He made no move to approach me and I was glad he didn't. I needed as much space as possible. I couldn't believe it. I had killed a human. Killing strigoi always left me with remorse because most of them were innocent people before they were awakened. To take a human life even if they were trying to kill me was a line I never dared to cross. And yet, here I was watching blood pour out of a human that I had murdered.

"Rose, we need to get you out of here. Alchemists are going to arrive any minute, come on."

He wrapped an arm around my stomach so he could pull me up but all I could do was stare at the mess I had created. Realising that walking wasn't going to work for me, he lifted me up in his arms and carried me away as fast as he could. I didn't fight it and cried silently, still in disbelief about what I had done.

Pavel was running at this point and my body shut down. It was as if someone had sucked all the energy from me and I was numb. My head felt like it was going to explode and there was so much pain. Not physically but mentally. We had reached the hotel and were in the elevator.

Fortunately, no one was around to stop us and ask why a grown man was carrying a girl who had bloodstained clothes. That would have been a disaster because I was in no state to use my compulsion. The elevator ride was short and Pavel hurried down the hallway until we reached his room.

"Abe open up."

The door opened a second later and Pavel pushed past Abe.

"What happened? Is she okay?"

Adrian and Sydney stood up looking worried and Pavel laid me down on the couch. All four crowded around me and I stared at the ceiling allowing Pavel to do the talking.

"It was the darkness," he whispered. "She was fighting Felix and the way she was acting, it was as if she was possessed."

My heart clenched and my head started throbbing. _I killed a human._

"After she killed him, one of his human helpers stabbed her and she just snapped."

 _I murdered someone._ I'm supposed to protect humans, not kill them.

"She…she slashed his throat."

Sydney's jaw dropped, Adrian's body went still and Abe's eyes widened. _They hate me. They hate me for what I did. I even hate me._

"You're saying that…" Abe's words dropped off.

Pavel bowed his head. "Rose killed him."

* * *

 **DPOV**

One day. That's how long it had been since Roza had left and I still hadn't fully accepted it. The only thing that was keeping me busy was doing ward checks, guarding in classes and training in my own time. I did everything I could to keep my mind off of Roza but I was having trouble. It didn't make it any easier seeing Eddie, Vasilisa and Christian.

Every time I would see them, it would remind me of her and it was obvious that her departure had impacted them too. Although I was sure they were handling it better than me. Eddie seemed to be the most affected, which was understandable since Rose had mentioned that they were close. I couldn't believe that I had spent so much of my life not knowing her and now there was an empty void in my life.

Everything reminded me of her, especially my room. My mind would always go back to the night before she left. The night where we had slept together for the first time and all I wanted right now was to see her. I was hoping that she was doing well on her mission and a part of me wished I had gone with her.

Despite wanting to, I couldn't abandon my charge or my duty, something that Rose had pointed out amazed me how mature she was that she understood the importance of duty. All I could do now was hope that the wait to see her again won't be too long.

It was almost curfew for the students and I had volunteered to do night shifts, which was something I rarely ever did unless it was necessary. I would do anything to keep myself occupied.

"Belikov."

I turned around to see Guardian Yuri approaching me. "Kirova wants to see you. I'll take over for the night."

"Uh sure, thanks."

He took up my position and I walked back inside the academy. I didn't know why she would want to see me but I figured it would have to be important if she was pulling me from my shift. When I reached her office, I entered to see Alberta standing beside her and knew that this was serious.

"What's going on?"

"Avery Lazar has left the academy. We don't know where she went or why she suddenly disappeared. Would you have an idea of where she could be since she is a friend of your charge?"

Avery was hardly someone I noticed. Roza very briefly told me about her and I had seen her with Rose's friends a few times but I never paid attention to her.

"No I don't know where she might have run off to. Have you asked the Princess?"

Kirova nodded. "Yes, Christian and Eddie too but they don't know anything."

"Her father-Eugene-called sounding concerned because she hadn't returned his phone calls. When a guardian went to retrieve her they reported that she wasn't there and her room had been cleaned out," explained Alberta.

"How long has it been since you found out she's missing?"

"Maybe a few hours now, she could be anywhere."

I could understand their concern. Avery was a royal moroi and her father was quite a powerful man. Finding her would be a top priority. My mind flashed to all the kidnappings that had happened.

"Do you think she was taken?"

Kirova shook her head. "I don't think so. Jesse and Ralf were taken to Court and this kind of behaviour isn't exactly unusual for Avery considering all the trouble she has gotten into in the past. Besides, she took all her belongings with her."

Kirova had a point. Although I didn't know much about this girl I did know that she was a friend of Roza's. If she were here then she would do what she could to help find Avery and since she was busy on a mission, I wanted to do it instead.

"What can I do to help?"

"Organise a search party. You and Alberta need to come up with a plan to find her and have the guardians track her down. She most likely has her cell phone on her or a credit card. I know it's night time and you're both wanting to sleep but it's important that we find her."

"Of course, we'll do what we can," I said.

Alberta and I left the office and went straight into planning out what we needed to do.

"I have someone that can track down her cell phone if she has it on her," she told me.

"There is a chance that she got rid of it as soon as she left."

"Maybe but it's worth finding out. I don't get why she would leave so suddenly."

Neither did I. It made no sense but it wasn't about the why. It was about where she is and bringing her back. It wasn't safe for a royal moroi to be out there unprotected where strigoi could easily kill her. Alberta was on her phone calling about Avery's whereabouts and I started on tracking for any sign of her using her credit card.

I wasn't really expecting to find anything knowing that if this girl were smart then she wouldn't do anything to give up her location. The last time she had used it was about a month ago when she was at the Royal Court. The lead was a dead-end.

Alberta hung up and walked back to me. "They were able to track her phone."

At least we have something. Hopefully she wasn't too far, it would make organising the search party a lot easier and lower the chance of her being in danger.

"Where is she?" I asked.

"New Orleans."

 **AN: Avery in New Orleans? What do you think she's doing there? As I mentioned in the AN above, the next chapter will be posted on either Friday or Saturday. Definitely sometime this week and I will have a very brief description on the sequel story. I can't wait to get into it! I would love to hear from you guys though. What would you like to see in the sequel? I'm going to try and make the next chapter longer than all my other ones since it will probably be the last. I'm really excited to start writing it. Anyway, thank you so much for reading, much love xoxo Have a good day/night! :D**


	30. This Is For Rose

**AN: Hello Lovelies! Ahhh! I can't believe we're here at the final chapter. I have never been able to finish a story before so this is the first time that it has happened and I'm so unbelievably happy! Thank you to all the reviews, favourites and follows. It truly means a lot to me. I'll tell you more about the sequel in the AN down below :) Anyway, here's chapter 30. Enjoy!**

 **RPOV**

"The alchemists asked me to pass on a thank you for helping."

"Sure," I responded monotonously.

Abe sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. "Rose, I know that what happened must have been horrible but you can't blame yourself. You weren't in control of what you were doing."

I continued to stare at the wall. "I killed someone."

"It was self-defence."

"It doesn't count when it comes to a human life."

He didn't say anything, knowing that there was nothing he could say to make me feel better about what I had done. I was still mentally kicking myself for losing control and I kept replaying it over and over again. Sydney had warned me about the darkness and I had ignored it to the point where it was uncontrollable.

"What if it happens again?"

"It won't, we will find a way to fight through this."

Dragging my eyes away from the blank wall, I stared at Abe.

"How?" I asked sounding desperate.

He grimaced. "I'm not sure but we will figure something out. We always do."

Although we did always manage to find a solution to everything, I wasn't too sure on how we would get through something like this. The darkness I absorb is not something I could decide whether or not I wanted it. It was a part of me. How do you kill a part of yourself?

"Do you hate me? Do the others hate me?"

Abe's face softened. "Of course not. We were all shocked but no one hates you. We understand why it happened."

As much as I wanted to throw myself a pity party, I didn't want to stay inside the hotel room for much longer. Looking out the window, I could see that it was nice weather outside and I longed to be in the sun. It had been a while. If I was going to feel sorry for myself, I might as well do it out there.

"I'm going to go for a walk," I announced.

"Okay, don't be gone too long."

I grabbed my jacket and left the room, wanting to breath in fresh air hoping it would offer me some sort of peace. There was nowhere in particular I wanted to go, especially since I didn't know my way around. The one thing I did love about New Orleans was that even if I wasn't in a good mood, being in a place that was lively made me feel a little energetic.

I strolled the streets passing through several stores and people. No one bothered me and it allowed me to let my mind drift off. I had no idea what was next for me. I didn't know where I would be travelling to since I was done here, what I did know though was that it wouldn't be a place where Dimitri would be. I missed him. I missed him a lot and if he were here right now, it would cheer me up a little.

Plus, I missed Eddie, Lissa and Christian. I remembered that graduation was around the corner for them meaning Eddie would be training for his qualifier, receive his promise mark and be assigned to a moroi. I was proud of Eddie and I wished I could be there to support him. Honestly, being close to people was both the best and worst feeling.

For a moment I envied my friends. Their lives weren't the easiest but they were going to do great things in the future. Even though I was proud of myself, I didn't know if I had much of a future left, not with the amount of darkness I was taking in. I was shrouded in dark shadows. I was torn away from my thoughts when my phone rang in my pocket seeing that Abe was calling me.

"Rose? I need to come back to the hotel right now," he said urgently.

I stopped walking and straightened up immediately. "What's wrong?"

"I'll tell you when you get here. Hurry."

He hung up and I turned around, running back to the hotel as fast as I could. He didn't sound like he was danger so a part of me was slightly relieved but he sounded concerned. Worried Abe was never a good thing. I burst into his room making Pavel push himself off the wall and stand in front of Abe protectively in a blink of an eye. When he realised it was just me, he relaxed and walked back to his prior position. I had also interrupted Abe's pacing.

"What is it?"

He hesitated before speaking. "It's Tatiana. She was murdered last night."

My body stilled. We had never gotten along but that didn't mean I wanted her to die. It definitely wasn't something I wanted to hear after all the horrible events over the past couple of months.

"Tell me everything," I demanded.

"I don't know much about it, they're still investigating. I received the call from the Head Guardian at court but someone staked her after knocking out her guardians. There were only about four since she was asleep. It wasn't strigoi Rose, they couldn't have gotten in while the wards were up."

"And she was killed with a silver stake. A strigoi definitely couldn't have done that."

Kidnapping students was one thing but to assassinate the Queen was huge. She ruled over our society and whoever had done this had taken a huge risk in killing her. And with the murder happening in Court meant that the murderer was working on the inside.

"The murder must be politically motivated, I highly doubt it was because of personal issues they might have had with her."

"It could be both," he suggested. "She's the Queen, she had hundreds of enemies."

"I'm guessing the Dark One has been requested?" I asked already knowing the answer.

"Guardian Croft is the head guardian at Court and he has heard about your success at the academy and here in New Orleans, he's requesting for your help in finding out who did this."

"Wait," I said, realising something. "I'm going to Court."

He gave me a confused look. "Yes, that's where the murder happened."

Relief swept over me as everything fell into place. Eddie, Lissa and Christian would be graduating soon and will be moving to Court. Dimitri would be going wherever Lissa goes and that meant if I took this assignment, I would get to see them a lot sooner than I had though.

It wasn't appropriate to be this excited in spite of the Queen's death but I couldn't help it. I wouldn't have to spend god knows how long thinking about when I would get to see them again. I would be reunited with the people I cared about and the man I'm in love with.

"I get to stay at Court," I whispered more to myself.

"Well technically, you don't have to stay at Court. Your house is only a few miles away, you can stay there if you would like. It's up to you, whatever you feel comfortable with."

I barely heard what he was saying. The excitement was starting to take over until it shattered. "Oh no."

"What?" Abe asked, frowning.

"Adrian. Oh he must be devastated."

I knew how close he was with her and even though I didn't feel remorse for her death, I knew Adrian certainly was.

"I should go see him."

"Wait Rose, give him some space," he advised. "You know how he is, he's not going to want any company right now. The only person he would want to talk to is Sydney."

"Is she with him?"

"Yes. I told him as soon as I received the call. He took it pretty hard, as expected."

Abe was right. Adrian was important to me but Sydney would be the one he would want comfort from and I didn't want to get in the way of that.

"We need to leave as soon as we can," he said.

I flopped down onto the couch. "Give me a minute, I need to process everything."

Tatiana was dead. Correction, murdered and I would have to move to Court and stay there until I find the person or people behind it. Adrian must be heartbroken and I had to give him space so he could let it sink in, plus I had to give him enough space to confide in Sydney. On a great note, I was going to see Dimitri again. I couldn't wait to see him and be in his arms.

"Well while you're processing, perhaps we can talk about you and a certain guardian."

Oh no. Here it comes.

"And how there are more than a few people who know your secret."

I avoided his gaze. "I can explain."

"If there's one thing you're good at Rose, it's justifying your decisions and actions no matter how ridiculous they are."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "You told people about what you are?"

"No," I responded immediately. "Well, I didn't tell him by choice. Eddie saw my tattoo's, Dimitri and Lissa saw me kill Mason and my bite mark heal, Christian found out because Isaiah didn't know when to shut up and Alberta found out on her own."

"Alberta knows?"

"Did I forget to mention that earlier?" I asked meekly.

Abe groaned. "What if they tell other people?"

"It won't happen. I trust them and they wouldn't do anything to betray me. They're my friends."

"Apparently one of them are more than your 'friend'," he muttered.

I looked to Pavel silently asking him to get me out of this mess but he refused to look at me and I knew he was ignoring me on purpose. I had a habit of always dragging him into my arguments with Abe and he had finally found a way to avoid it. It was to ignore my pleas.

"I know what you're going to say," I interrupted. "You don't like it, you don't think it's safe, he's too old for me and it would never work."

He was silent and thinking hard as I watched him carefully, waiting for some sort of outburst.

"I'm not going to lie. I don't approve of it completely…but I did see the difference in you, especially when you had to leave the academy. From what I know, he's a good man and I trust him to treat you well," he explained. "But if he hurts you then he's a dead man."

I tilted my head, surprised by what I was hearing. "So…you're okay with it?"

"I suppose."

This conversation was getting a little awkward for me. "Well thanks, I guess. For your kind-of approval."

He nodded and I caught a glimpse of Pavel attempting to hold back a smile.

"Anyway, when are we leaving for Court?" I asked quickly, changing the subject.

"In about five hours. Get everything packed and ready. I would like to leave sooner but I think Adrian is going to need a little more time."

I returned to my room and lifted the suitcase onto the bed, throwing in all my clothes. This mission didn't last as long as my previous ones. It wasn't the shortest time I had spent on an assignment though.

A part of me was feeling happy that I was finally returning but the other part of me felt guilty because Adrian had lost someone he loved. I really did want to see him. A knock on my door jolted me out of my thoughts and I figured it must be Abe. When I opened the door I was not expecting the person standing in front of me.

"Avery?"

She smiled at me brightly. "Hey Rose. Surprise."

"What…what are you doing here?" I stammered as she walked into my room and looked around.

"I wanted to visit you and I know I should have called but I thought it would be better if I kept it a secret. Happy to see me?"

My feet were frozen in place and I didn't even try to hide how confused I was by her presence. I shut the door and walked over to her.

"Um, why surprise me?"

Her smile dropped. "You just seemed really sad when I last saw you so I thought I would come here and maybe it would cheer you up. I didn't mean to upset you or anything."

"Of course not, I'm glad you're here but I'm actually leaving for Court tonight. How did you know that I would be here?"

She laughed. "You told me you would be here remember?"

"I said I would be in New Orleans but I didn't mention the hotel that I would be staying at."

Avery walked over to the mini bar and started scanning the bottles. "It wasn't that hard. I might have used my royal connections."

Something wasn't right here. There was more to the reason why she was here but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Aha, found the good stuff," she said, holding up a bottle of bourbon.

"Avery," I said seriously, trying to get her attention. "What are you really doing here? I'm not mad at you but I know you're not here to surprise me."

She sobered up and placed the bottle back onto the bar. "I know Rose."

"Know what?"

"I know what you are. Why didn't you tell me? Didn't you trust me?"

I am literally the worst Draugr in history. I can't even keep my own secret a secret.

"What are you talking about?" I asked stupidly.

She walked up to me. "Come on, you know exactly what I'm talking about. You're a Draugr."

My heart started beating rapidly and I struggled to get my words out. It amazed me that she knew the name of my own type. No one knew except for my trusted circle.

"How did you find out?" My voice was barely a whisper but she managed to hear what I had said.

"I knew there was something different about you from the beginning the second I saw you, you stood out to me. I couldn't explain what it was so I did what I could to research about it."

She wasn't making any sense to me. "What was different about me?"

"Your aura. It was something that I had never seen before."

" _What_? You see aura's…" my voiced died down. "You're a spirit user."

Avery shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "I see aura's and yours was the first thing that I noticed. It's completely black with a few hints of silver which is unheard of."

"Why didn't you tell anyone? Did you know that Adrian and Lissa were just like you?"

Adrian would have told me that she was a spirit user the second he saw her aura. Why didn't he tell me?

"Of course. I sensed it before I saw them and when I saw their aura's it was clear that they were just like me."

I shook my head in disbelief. "Adrian would have told me. He see's aura's too."

She gave me a small smile but it wasn't like her usual ones. There was something weird about the way she was looking at me.

"Every spirit user is different. I can see aura's but I know how to hide mine."

That was an ability I hadn't heard of. "Why would you hide it? Adrian and Lissa would have been interested and would want to discuss spirit with you. Spirit user's are rare in this world."

Her smile disappeared. "I don't want to be seen as a spirit user. I was isolated from everyone because of what I was and people were afraid of me, as if I was going to hurt them."

I kind of knew how she was feeling. "Okay so you saw my aura but how did you find out what I am?"

"Research. I wanted to know why your aura was different and I kept looking until I found something, the aura of a Draugr. When I first read about it I didn't believe it was possible because no one has ever heard of a Draugr before. I figured they didn't exist but I couldn't ignore it so I kept an eye on you, trying to see if you would give anything away."

Starting to feel uncomfortable, I took a step back. The cool and chill Avery was gone and was now replaced with an Avery that I didn't recognise. There was something wild in her eyes.

"You're good at hiding it though but then I remembered that the Dark One was at the academy and I tried to put two and two together. I've heard stories about the Dark One and how superior they are. The timing of you arriving at the academy and then leaving right after the kidnappings stopped, I knew you had something to do with it."

Her voice changed, sounding distant and aloof. It was like she wasn't really here with me but somewhere else.

"I couldn't believe it. You're the Dark One and a Draugr. No one knows that your kind exists and yet here you are." She reached out to touch my arm and that single touch felt cold and made me flinch.

A glassy look passed over her eyes and I stepped back even further, feeling cautious about having her in such close proximity. Something was wrong but what was it?

"I learnt more about your abilities and that was when I found out about the darkness. You absorb it after you kill strigoi because you take in the dark spirit. I've seen it in your aura. It kills you and every time you make a kill, you're really just killing yourself."

It didn't surprise me that she had found that out. Information about Draugr's wasn't hard to access but no one bothered to read up about my kind because no one knew I existed. Suddenly, her entire demeanour shifted and it was as if something inside of her snapped. Her face twisted into a scowl and her fists were clenched at her sides.

"You're not Rose Hathaway," she whispered menacingly, as she walked closer to me.

I frowned. "What are you talking about? I am Rose."

She glared at me. "Do you think I'm an idiot?"

Her behaviour was throwing me off and I needed to control the situation before anything got out of hand. I had to figure out what was going on with her.

"Avery. It's me Rose, your friend."

"You're not my friend," she spat. "You killed Rose."

My eyes widened. "I'm right here. How can I be dead when I'm standing right in front of you?"

Her eyes were piercing into mine and her expression was frightening. If looks could kill, I truly would be dead.

"It was too late for Rose. The darkness got to her and now she's gone without anyone even realising it. And you are taking over her body pretending to be her, others might not see it but I see right through you."

I raised my hands in front of me trying to calm her down and hopefully snap her out of whatever she was caught up in. She didn't seem to be a threat and if she did get physical I could easily overpower her. She didn't seem to be a threat and if she did get physical I could easily overpower. Although I didn't think she would go that far.

"Right through who? Who's pretending to be me?"

She stopped for a second and then anger flashed in her eyes. "You're a dark entity controlling Rose's body. I have to save her and the only way to do it is to get rid of you."

Everything she was saying was making her sound crazy. There was no point in trying to make sense in what she was saying. I remembered Adrian telling me that spirit can really drive people over the edge and maybe that's what was happening with Avery. Maybe spirit was taking over her body the way the darkness does to me.

Adrian was grieving for Tatiana and the last thing I wanted to do was to drag him into this mess but he was probably the only one who could help her. I didn't know enough about the side effects of spirit.

"I don't know what's going on with you," I started gently, "but I can help you okay? Just let me call Adrian."

Walking past her, I went to the bedside table to pick up my phone and prepared to call Adrian.

"I can charm objects too," she whispered behind me.

"Adrian can do that as well," I responded as I scrolled through my contacts.

I heard her sniffling behind me. "I just want to help her. She doesn't deserve this and I want to set her free. She needs to be free."

She was rambling again. I finally found Adrian's number and waited for him to pick up.

"This is for Rose."

I turned around and as soon as I did I felt a sharp pain in my chest and the phone dropped from my hand. The first thing I wanted to do was scream but nothing came out because I couldn't breathe anymore. Avery was looking right into my eyes with a small smile playing on her lips.

"You're free Rose."

Looking down I saw a silver stake pushed halfway through my chest and I could feel it grazing my heart. It felt like my body was on fire and the pain was beginning to become excruciating. All I wanted to do was scream but I was still stunned by the pain. I've been staked before but it never hurt this badly. It had never paralysed me.

 _I can charm objects too._

A silver stake charmed with spirit. She pushed on the stake with everything she had until it slowly pierced my heart and I let out a strangled cry and something happened to me that had never occurred when I had been staked before. My entire body shut down. I couldn't see anymore, all that was in front of me were dark shadows that seemed to taunt me. Finally, the pain disappeared and I fell into a veil of darkness.

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 **AN: Did Avery just kill Rose? What do you think will happen to her? Do you think she will make it to Court? And Tatiana was murdered? Who do you think killed her? I hope you liked this last chapter and honestly, I hope you have all enjoyed this story. I just want to say a MASSIVE thank you to each and every single one of you who took the time to read, review, favourite and follow my story. I am incredibly lucky to have amazing readers and I hope you all decide to stick around for the sequel as well.**

 **There were times where I didn't think I would be able to get a chapter out or come up with decent ideas but so many of you supported me and for that I am truly grateful. It means everything to me when I find that people out there are enjoying my story and let me know that they like it. I have read every single review that has been posted and it makes my day to see positive and encouraging comments. You are all amazing and beautiful people! Thank you again I couldn't have done this without all of you xoxo**

 **As for the sequel, I am going to take a week off to sort everything out, write a couple of chapters and plan out what I'm going to do. I'm super excited for this sequel and hopefully all of you are too. Feel free to PM me anything that you would love to see, I'm open to hearing all ideas. The first chapter will be posted on either the 2** **nd** **or 3** **rd** **of July. I will put up an author's note on this story an hour before posting the sequel to give you all a heads up. Moving on, here's a very brief and rough draft sneak peek of what to expect out of the sequel ;)**

 _ **The Dark Knights-**_

 _ **Rose Hathaway's life is hanging by a thread, a mission is waiting for her at Court and the moroi society is expectantly waiting for the arrival of the Dark One. A new threat has everyone cowering in fear with no one knowing who or what they are and Rose is the only one who can help them. Will she be able to pull through to do her duty or has her life come to an end?**_

 **Much love xoxo Have an awesome week! :D ~ Savannah**

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 **SEQUEL HAS NOW BEEN POSTED!**


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